Lethal
by Malevolent Reverie
Summary: The nice family in the woods had dark intentions for Videl. Darkfic, Goku/Videl DISCONTINUED
1. Reflections

**A/N:** Yaaaay I came up with an idea I like! It's probably been beaten to death but why the hell not? This is Goku/Videl again (sorry to my Gh/V fans- I'm not really interested in that pairing ATM) BUT I might do a Gohan/Videl/Goku love triangle. Not sure yet as this is still in the infancy. I don't want to give away too much. There will be more action in this as opposed to angst or whatever. Videl's gonna kick some ass. This is really short just so it can get the cogs in your minds turning.

**Warnings**: A/U, perhaps some non-con because it's my favorite, couple of lemons, and some OOCness.

**Pairings**: Goku/Videl, otherwise all canon. Maybe a love triangle. Or rectangle. Or pentagon.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**1: Reflections**

It wasn't supposed to happen to me.

Raw, animalistic power surged through my veins and for the first time in my life, I felt _alive. _The countless narrow escapes during the battle with Majin Buu felt like child's play compared to the potent concoction racing through my sinew and flesh, empowering me with a gift no other human would ever understand. My DNA was rewriting itself; a feat that went against all the lessons science had taught us. But nothing was impossible with a little ingenuity and of course, money.

They had chosen me for my strong human attributes, along with my gender. I was the perfect candidate for their experiment and only slightly hesitant to recombine the very structure of my existence. It only took some cajoling and carefully selected words to get me in the lab on a chair. She had a long, sharp needle that injected a thick, bluish substance directly into my elbow. After, they quickly moved me to a resuscitation chamber so I wouldn't die during the conversion. It was a strong possibility.

But they hadn't wanted me in particular. I was readily available and I knew their secrets. It was the most convenient option at the time. As I hovered half-awake in thick, green water, feeling my body changing at its core, I began to wonder if I had made the right choice.


	2. Wide Awake

**A/N:** More boring background stuff. This is really A/U. Buu is never going to happen. I'm making up some other crisis. Maybe. Thanks for the reviews, too! I'm really tired right now and frankly too lazy to edit them in at the bottom. But you guys know who you are and know I love you. 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**2: Wide Awake**

Things hadn't exactly happened that way, though. I gave myself a little too much credit—the entire fiasco could be traced back to two small children who held a very serious power in their hands. Kids like to play jokes and theirs cost me dearly. I tried not to resent them for it and hid my newfound power as long as I could, but Gohan's family and friends weren't an easy bunch to trick. They figured it out soon enough and wanted to make sure I was "stable."

Even before that, I could remember very clearly the day that set everything in motion. If it wasn't for a chance encounter on the street thanks to some thieves, I would have still been regular Videl Satan. I had a gut feeling that something about the Great Saiyaman wasn't quite normal and my pesky curiosity got the better of me. So when we happened to be fighting off the same criminals one afternoon, I decided I wanted answers even if he wasn't willing to give them.

* * *

Fire singed the edges of my hair and I narrowly avoided being completely engulfed in the flamethrower offender number one was sweeping about the street. I flipped backwards effortlessly and let gravity do the rest: I had been told my center of balance was "perfect," which meant I nearly always landed on my feet. I hadn't been born that way. My father was the only naturally gifted one in the family. My feet touched the pavement for three seconds before I was moving again.

The police stood off to the side to let me work my magic. They trusted me and knew I would make sure no civilians were hurt. Sometimes, one trained athlete was a much better option than a group of mildly overweight middle-aged men with pistols.

I pivoted on my left foot to avoid a bullet—close one—and leapt off a car to sail over the ringleader's head. He didn't have any time to react. I quickly twisted his arms behind his back and forced him to the ground with some effort, causing the rest of the gang to hesitate. If you took out the head, the body would eventually stop moving. I kicked the man's gun away to the police and waited impatiently for the other men to cooperate quietly.

One in the back raised his gun to shoot me. That would become my first near-death experience.

In a flash of green, the man who I decided to throw all the blame on knocked the gun out of the offender's hand and consequently knocked him unconscious. Offender one wasn't too happy and turned to give him the flamethrower treatment I had barely escaped, but the barrel of the weapon was literally bent in half. I watched in awe as the stranger easily picked up the last thief by the collar of his shirt and hoisted him high in the air like he weighed nothing.

"I think you'll be wanting this," the man said, tossing the guy to the cops without much effort. He leaned back and put his hands on his hips with a smug grin.

I scowled deeply and dragged my own fugitive to his feet so the police could bring him to prison while the newcomer rounded up the last one. When they were all stashed away in the cars, the sergeant approached the stranger and I with his cap held awkwardly between his hands. Normally he removed it to show me respect but technically the new guy had helped, so he didn't know what to do.

"As always, thanks," he said to me with a smile. "But uh… I didn't get your name."

We both looked expectantly at the newcomer and he suddenly became very nervous, rubbing the back of the obscene helmet he was wearing. "Uh… I guess you can call me—" He stopped mid-sentence to do a crazy set of moves that ended with him pointing to the sky like Superman. "The Great Saiyaman!"

The sergeant and I exchanged a look and he thanked "The Great Saiyaman" before departing the scene. When they were gone, I turned irately to the guy and put my hands on my hips.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"Just helping out some people in need!" He started to do another set of moves and I irately pushed him.

"Quit doing that, it's really weird. I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you better not interfere with my job again. The last thing we need in this city is some insane civilian being killed because he thinks he's a superhero."

"It's not me you should be worried about," he muttered.

I almost growled in anger. "Do you know who I am? I'm Videl Satan, the daughter of the world-renowned fighter who defeated Cell. I think I know a thing or two about martial arts. I don't need you or any other person to protect me. I'm not saying I don't appreciate you helping me out back there but stay out of my way from now on." I poked his chest to be more intimidating and was surprised to feel rock solid muscle underneath. Maybe he wasn't some weird kid.

"Well see you around!" he said, taking off into the air.

My eyes narrowed as he flew away. Not only was I completely jealous that he knew how to fly, but my position as the defender of the city was under threat. Hopefully people wouldn't think we were working together. The last thing I needed was a sidekick, even if he could fly. And bend metal. But that was a trick. Dad had figured it all out years ago and it was the common consensus that all of the nonsense from the strange group of fighters near Cell was mind games. Nothing more.

The trek back to Orange Star High began a few minutes later. None of my teachers complained much about me being late to class since I was typically on the news and they knew I was doing my civic duty. I jogged most of the way anyhow because Erasa would be more than annoyed if I showed up after lunch period. That was normally when she and Sharpner filled me in on all their gossip. Missing it was blasphemous—she wouldn't talk to me for a week.

As expected, the halls were empty and silent. I made my way down the hall to my locker to grab my books for third period and was pleased to make it there with half the class left to go. The teacher didn't say anything when I ducked in quietly and headed up to my seat, but when I got there, I threatened to break the silence. Someone was sitting in my seat. It really bothered me for some reason.

The kid was pretty tall (not saying much considering I was abnormally short) and had black hair that stood up on its own. He looked up at me and smiled which is when I made the connection. I had paid very close attention to "The Great Saiyaman" so it wasn't hard to guess who the guy was. When I stared at him he realized he was in my seat and quickly moved over to the one beside me. Erasa giggled.

"Boys won't like you if you keep being mean," she whispered as I sat down.

I leaned over to check what page her textbook was open too and shrugged as I flipped through the pages of my own. "Oh well. I don't like boys who keep secrets."

"Gohan, this is Videl," Erasa said in a strained whisper, "and she likes fighting. There, I even started the conversation for you. Have fun!" She waved like she was leaving the room and turned away.

"Gohan," I repeated. "Interesting name. I don't see how it connects to 'Saiyaman,' to be honest."

"Oh, well, it was just a surname. My mom's name before she got married. Well now she's divorced so I guess it went back to that. Not that she's unhappy or anything. I'm not upset, either." Gohan was rubbing the back of his nervously and giving me a sheepish smile.

"Chill out, I don't want your life story." I glanced about and leaned closer. "What I do want is for you to teach me how to fly."

The pressure was getting to Gohan. He tugged on his collar. "Fly? I have no idea what you're talking about. Is it hot in here? Maybe I should leave for a few minutes and get some air. Can I copy your notes later? I know I'm bound to miss something in case, you know, there's a fire drill—"

I grabbed his ear and forced him to sit down when he tried getting up. There was no way I would let him pull one over on me. He had made his little secret blatantly obvious and I wanted in. Being able to fly would make protecting the city a cinch. Plus, I could go anywhere I wanted without having to worry about dad following me or sending other people to follow me.

"Teach me how to fly or you're history," I said.

Gohan stared at me, searching my eyes for any hesitation, then sighed in defeat. "Ok, if you insist. I'll meet you at the end of the day out front."

"Perfect."


	3. The Lion's Den

**A/N**: Gohan is a shy bookworm in this because... well, I think it suits him. And I can't imagine he'd be comfortable being around a girl. Sorry it took me so long to update! I'm gonna reply to reviews if they actually say something. I'm not saying I don't appreciate people saying "good work" and whatnot, but it's kind of redundant for me to reply to it. Just know that I thoroughly appreciate all of your reviews! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**3: The Lion's Den**

There were more than a few hushed conversations about Gohan and I when we left school that afternoon. He was embarrassed by all the stares and tried hiding his face behind a notebook while I proudly strutted out, unabashed as always. It was a bit uncomfortable but my father had raised me to put on a face and at least act like everything was okay rather than showing people my weakness. That had been how he defeated Cell all those years ago.

We walked through the fields together without saying anything. I was expecting him to just fly us back to his house but I didn't have the gall to ask. Hopefully I would be able to fly by myself at the end of the day. Gohan kept rubbing the back of his awkwardly and glancing at me, probably thinking I didn't notice it. He was a weird kid. The further we walked, the closer I came to figuring out who he was. Most likely raised in the wilderness by a single parent who didn't let him get out much.

When we passed through the fields and into the woods, I started to wonder why Gohan bothered trekking so far just to go to a public high school. He must have been homeschooled for most of his life so it wouldn't be a big deal for his parent to keep teaching him. Then again, he was painfully shy unless he was wearing his ridiculous costume and it was good for teenagers to get out and meet new people. All of us had the urge to socialize, even if we didn't outwardly express it.

Gohan peeked at me again and I finally gave him a push so he almost fell into a nearby tree. When he recovered and went back to touching the back of his head, I smacked his hand and he stood stock still with his shoulders hunched like a misbehaved puppy. I put my hands on my hips which made him shrink even further as if I would explode and knock him over unless he took cover. Apparently he had an overbearing mother living at home. What a surprise.

"I know you're looking at me," I said, trying to calm down. It wasn't like he meant any harm. "Stop peering at me when you think I'm not looking. It's creepy. If you want girls to like you and pay attention to you, be confident with who you are. And stop doing that thing with your hair. Is that a nervous tic?"

"My father does it," Gohan said.

"Well okay then." I reached out and pushed down on his shoulders so they were squared, tipped his chin so it was raised from his chest, and patted his cheeks. "There. Relax and stop worrying so much. Act natural, be friendly, and people will like you. Promise."

Gohan's cheeks turned bright pink and he nodded. I dusted off his shoulders and couldn't help but notice that he was strong—abnormally strong. It wasn't the sort of build a teenage boy could get unless he was on some serious steroids or training on a constant basis. My dad was bulky but he was on a strict diet and worked out all day, every day. Some eighteen year old kid didn't have that kind of time. My eyes narrowed and we kept walking. Something fishy was going on.

A few minutes later, we emerged from the forest and in the front yard of a small house nestled by a pond, complete with smoke rising from the chimney. There was a small woman out front hanging laundry on a line who had long black hair and a oddly formal dress on. She turned to get another shirt off the picnic table when she noticed Gohan and I. There was a moment's hesitation before she hurried forward to take him in a suffocating hug, already asking how his first day went.

"It was pretty good," Gohan said, somehow putting up with his mother doting over him like he was a five year old. "Mom, this is my friend, Videl. And Videl, this is my mother, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi didn't seem terribly interested in welcoming me at first, but she warmed up when she realized I was Hercule Satan's daughter. The dollar signs were practically glowing in her pupils. She told us to go inside and wash up for dinner while she finished the laundry, so I followed a very embarrassed Gohan into their small home. He looked positively terrible, like he wanted to find the nearest rock and hide under it for all eternity.

The inside of their home was pleasantly warm and quaint. It was a far cry from my mansion and the massive places Erasa and Sharpner lived in. There were rugs all over the place covering the creaky floor and curtains that didn't quite fit their windows. Strangely, it appealed to me. The rush of city life was something to enjoy, but it must have been nice to come home to your own little oasis at the base of Mt. Paozu. All your tension sort of melted away.

We washed our hands and started getting the table ready on Chi-Chi's request so she could start cooking dinner. After it was ready, Chi-Chi put her arm around me and asked Gohan if he would like to take me for a tour of the house before we all sat down to eat. She had quickly decided we were close friends and clasped her hands together happily when he led me up the rickety staircase. I kind of felt like rubbing the back of Gohan's head for him.

"How long have you lived here?" I asked as he showed me the bathroom, which was the only room upstairs save for two bedrooms.

"My whole life. I have a little brother named Goten who prefers being with dad, but someone had to stay behind and watch over my mother." Gohan smiled ruefully. "She's kind of old-fashioned but she grows on you. It just bothered my father, though. They decided it wouldn't work out when Goten turned one and they parted on good terms."

A pang of sympathy struck me. The poor kid was lonely. He took every chance he could to tell me about his backwoods life and it was kind of sad. Gohan noticed me looking at him and his ears turned visibly red. He pushed open a door and gestured for me to go in. Now it was my turn to do the annoying staring. I wanted to know more about his family. They certainly weren't normal.

When we sat on the edge of a small bed covered with crisp blue sheets I knew we were in Gohan's bedroom. He turned on the lightswitch behind his headboard and I wasn't surprised to see that the space was scrupulously clean. There was two bookshelves filled with everything you could imagine—the bindings were easily read even from a distance—and he had a small dresser parked on the other side of the room. An armoire with a TV was next to the door. It wasn't too bad.

I noticed a notebook on the floor and moved to pick it up, but Gohan's hand lashed out and grabbed my wrist before I could. It was like he was made of steel. He was too strong to be a regular human. Unfortunately, he noticed my quizzical look and reached past me to grab the book so I would never know its secrets. He knew he wasn't doing a good job hiding his identity.

"Why bother hiding yourself?" I asked. "I protect the city but I don't wear a crazy outfit."

"No reason. I just don't want to be different from anyone else. Blending in is a much better way to live than constantly standing out. Plus, the whole flying thing might drive people away."

"You're supposed to teach me! I totally forgot!"

"We can after dinner, I promise. It'll still be kind of light out." Gohan started twiddling his thumbs and looked down at them like they were suddenly very interesting. "Or you could come over again tomorrow since we don't have school. We could spend the whole day practicing. Or not, if you're busy. I know you have a lot of friends and the city probably needs you. Goten is probably gonna want to tag along, too."

I shrugged and rested my chin in my palm. "That's fine. He can come if he wants. I'm curious to meet him and see if he's as… unique as you are. Does he know how to fly?"

"Well, no. He'd be learning with you."

"The more, the merrier. Bring everyone in the whole city." I flopped back on the bed and scrutinized the cracking ceiling. "Matter of fact, why don't we all have a picnic? I can get one of the cooks at home to put something together for all of us. Just tell me what you're allergic to so I don't have to bring you to the hospital. That's a trip I'd like to avoid."

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. I can and will eat pretty much anything. Though I hope Trunks doesn't follow Goten, or there won't be anything left for either of us."

When I started to ask who Trunks was, there was a loud crash outside that made me sit up ramrod straight in shock. Gohan just looked annoyed and led me back out of his room and downstairs to an angry Chi-Chi yanking open the door. Outside, three gigantic fish that looked like they could swallow me whole were piled up in front of us, freshly killed and a bit stinky. Chi-Chi started yelling something about "hooligan Saiyans" before her son darted forward and covered her mouth. What on Earth was a "Saiyan?" Maybe a gang that had been terrorizing Gohan and his mother?

I didn't get a chance to ask Gohan because a small boy with spiky black hair appeared on top of the fish pile. He was wearing a bright orange training uniform and curled his biceps to show off his oddly large muscles, then leapt down and ran forward to hug Chi-Chi. Gohan let her go and the two of them embraced for a few seconds before bringing him in on the hug. I stood awkwardly by the door when I suddenly felt a finger prodding my back.

Against my better judgment, I turned around.

There was a tall man who nearly reached the ceiling standing behind me with his hands on his hips. He had the same spiky hair as the kid, who I guessed was Goten, and was wearing a similar outfit. He grinned, flashing pearly white teeth at me.

"Don't worry, you get one too!" he said.

The next thing I knew, I was in a lung-crushing embrace. The guy had biceps like basketballs; I didn't even think it was possible to be that powerful without sacrificing your physical appearance. His grip tightened and he hoisted me off my feet like I was a sack of feathers, swinging me through the air a few times before placing me carefully back on the ground beside Gohan. He kept his arm around me, grinning happily while Goten snuggled into his mother's arms.

"We came by to celebrate Gohan's first day of school!" Goten said excitedly. He looked over at me curiously. "Who is this, mom?"

"This is Videl, Gohan's friend," Chi-Chi replied, "and you better not bother them! This is his first girlfriend and they don't need you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Mom," Gohan grated between his teeth.

The tall guy blinked and his grin widened. "Hey, congrats! Look at that, you had a good day at school and you met a pretty girl!" His arm left my shoulders and it felt like a fifty pound weight was leaving me. Big muscles must have been a family trait.

"This is my father, Goku," Gohan said, refusing to meet my eyes. "And this is my little brother, Goten. They work together with my mother to humiliate me as much as possible."

"It's sweet," I said. "You're all so happy. It's rare to see in families today."

This comment made Chi-Chi beam and she started telling me all about how she met Goku when they were children while all of us headed inside. Yes, they all seemed happy, but there was always something waiting just beneath the surface. I wanted to figure out what secret they were hiding.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**TFSrules**- Even writing about the Great Saiyaman hurts me inside. Major secondhand embarrassment.

**Kanosina**- Not exactly the best first meeting but I don't like to rush. Mwahaha :)


	4. Crashing From The High

**A/N**: Whee! I had nothing to do so I wrote a new chapter. Wheeeeeeee

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**4: Crashing From The High**

Dinner was over soon enough. The two men ate an obscene amount of food, but Chi-Chi just shook her head disapprovingly at them when I looked at her for an answer. Even Goten seemed to eat more than was necessary for a six year old. They talked for a while about what Goku had been up to living in the wilderness with Goten and I listened politely, genuinely interested in what they were saying. It was definitely different than living in the city, surrounded by skyscrapers and police cars.

Goku turned to me at one point and smiled. "You're Hercule's daughter, right? Must be interesting living with the man who single-handedly defeated Cell on live television." He adjusted a bowl within another so it wouldn't tip over, still smiling like something was hilarious.

"It's okay," I said.

"Videl helps protect the city," Gohan chimed in, rising to help Chi-Chi clear the table. "We ran into each other earlier during a robbery and it didn't take long for her to figure out who I was. But at least no one else knows. She won't tell anyone. Right?"

I nodded as Gohan took my plate away. "You can trust me as long as you teach me how to fly."

"Earthlings can't learn that," Goku said. "None of you have control over your energy and know how to redirect it, or control it for that matter."

"Earthlings? Are you an alien?" I asked.

"Technically a space pirate—"

Gohan smacked his father in the back of the head and gave him a cold glare before resuming cleaning off the mounds of dishes on the table. It had been hard to see earlier, but now I noticed that Goku looked very young—maybe in his mid-20s—and not nearly old enough to have a teenage son. Even if he was 30 that would mean he had Gohan when he was twelve. My eyes roamed to Chi-Chi and I shuddered. Had she taken advantage of him somehow? What a weird family.

"Dad gets confused sometimes," Gohan said as he took a seat beside me again. "He reads some crazy books sometimes and thinks he's actually the character in it."

"What's energy?" I asked.

"Something normal people don't have." Goku ducked when his son threw a wooden cup at his head.

"It's like your life force," Gohan said. "If you focus hard enough and meditate, I think you can summon it and learn how to place it under your body so you can fly. It's true that most people can't do it but you're special. I'm sure after a few practice sessions you'll get the hang of it and never walk again."

"It also lets you shoot fireballs out of your hands!" Goten interjected.

Chi-Chi turned and smiled at Gohan and I. "Why don't you two go out for a nice walk? The lake isn't too far away and I'm sure you have enough light to start learning some more."

This was the permission Gohan had been waiting for. We both rose and the full weight of the food hit my stomach, making me realize I had eaten too much alongside Gohan's family. On the way out, I felt Goku's eyes drilling into my back. It was unnerving and I pressed against Gohan when we walked through the doorframe so he couldn't see me as well.

Once again we walked to our destination, which I hoped wasn't as far as the first trip. Gohan kept his hands jammed in his pockets and stared at the ground like he was thinking deeply about something. He had been chatting with his father for a few minutes before dinner started, giving me the feeling that their conversation had involved a topic Gohan was comfortable with. They were all acting like he and I were going to get married.

After a few seconds I opened another can of worms. "What's a Saiyan?"

"More silly stories," Gohan said.

"Is that why your father looks so young? Is he from another race of aliens that live on a different planet? If not, your mother must have taken advantage of him when he was a kid. If that's what you guys do then that's okay but…"

"Goku is kind of losing it from all his time in the wild. Don't take anything he says to heart."

The rest of the walk continued in silence. We walked through a thick line of trees and arrived at the banks of a beautiful, crystal-clear lake. A waterfall tumbled over the cliffside and some nesting pterosaurs shrieked loudly when they noticed us approaching. Gohan simply kept walking forward and they flew off, though they didn't look too happy about it. He sat at the water's edge and I took a seat next to him, marveling in how pristine everything was.

"This must be nice," I said, running my fingers through the glassy water.

"It gets kind of boring. That's why I wanted to go to the city and be in high school. Living in the wilderness gets monotonous after a while." Gohan turned to me with his legs crossed Indian-style. "But enough of that. It's time for you to learn how to draw up your energy. It's gonna take a couple tries so don't get too frustrated."

I faced him and he put his palms about half a foot apart, staring intently at them. After a few seconds, there was a flickering that hailed a glowing ball of light forming between his hands. I gasped and leaned forward to push my finger through it, shivering when tendrils of electricity prickled my skin. Gohan swallowed hard and let the energy disappear as quickly as it came.

It seemed easy, but it was downright impossible.

The flickering happened a few times and it looked like the ball of light would appear. Yet no matter how hard I focused, there was only crackling between my palms. When I started sweating profusely and muttering curses under my breath, Gohan gently pushed my hands down and smiled. How could he make it look so simple? I would never understand how the flicker led to the light.

"Think of it as a chain reaction," Gohan said. "The flickering is the spark of power that leads to the energy taking physical form. Energy is held in reserves in your body that you draw from to feed the reaction. The more you use it, the bigger the reserves become. It's just another muscle you have to learn how to properly exercise." He closed his eyes and the light appeared in his hands.

"How did you guys figure this out?" I asked, taking off my fingerless gloves. "My dad is a great fighter but even he didn't know we have energy inside us we can manipulate. It's cool."

Gohan shrugged and watched me start trying again. "You'd have to ask my dad."

It took a few more attempts to finally get a small, wavering light to appear in my palms. It was amazing to feel raw energy that I had drawn from my own body. The light seemed to have a pulse that thrummed methodically, accelerating when I moved it around. I carefully balanced it in one hand and grinned proudly at Gohan while he clapped, congratulating me on my progress. My chest was heaving and I was covered in sweat, but I did it.

Luckily, we were right next to a lake. Gohan turned his back so I could strip down to my undergarments and slip in the water, which brought instant relief. He peeled off his t-shirt and I tried very hard not to be impressed—for a nerdy bookworm, he worked out a lot. I put my feet on the sand floor of the lake and Gohan slid in beside me, towering over me by a few feet. He kept a respectful distance while we swam through the deep water toward the waterfall.

"There's a cave behind it," Gohan explained when I looked at him quizzically. He had tied his shirt to his head and rinsed it in the water as we arrived at the shoreline. "It's pretty inside. There's all kinds of different colored rocks and formations."

Gohan wrung out the t-shirt and offered it to me. We got out of the water and I quickly pulled it over my head. It draped down almost to my knees. I'd been told I was short and petite for my age, but Gohan made it look like I was a bona fide midget. He laughed a little at my expense and took my hand to lead me into the strange cave. Our bare feet padded on the cold stone.

"My dad is gonna kill me," I whispered. "The sun is starting to set."

"You could always stay at my house," Gohan suggested, "and just tell him you were somewhere else."

"Bit of a rebel, are we?"

"Only when my mom lets me."

It was a better option than going home and facing dad's wrath. He'd yell and throw a tantrum, but if I came home in the morning and told him I stayed at Erasa's, he'd just be kind of upset I didn't tell him where exactly I was going. Still, I had never stayed overnight at a boy's house before. It would be a new experience sleeping in the same building as one. Dad always made the guys stay in the guest house when I had birthday parties.

The cave was dark and slimy. Gohan held onto my hand firmly and confidently walked through the shadows; clearly he had trekked through the cave many times. We stopped after a few minutes and he created a ball of energy in his palm to illuminate the small room we were standing in.

As promised, the space was lined with multicolored crystals that refracted the light from Gohan's energy and splashed it across the black walls. We were standing in a colorful wonder of nature, one hidden away from the prying eyes of mankind. Gohan reached forward and broke off a small piece of a purple crystal, then handed it to me. It was very light but dense. There was a lot of material jam-packed inside it and it had to be worth a lot of money.

"This is how I keep my mom and me afloat," he said. "One of these can give us enough money for six months or so. By then, a new rock grows back."

"It's gorgeous," I said.

"They sure are. But… not as pretty as you."

I managed to tear my eyes off the gemstone to see Gohan blushing furiously and trying to look at me without averting his gaze. It was so cheesy. Ignoring him seemed rude so I smiled and thanked him for the compliment before giving back the gem. He ran his thumbs over it for a few seconds, still bright red and flustered beyond belief. Had Goku put him up to this?

More silence passed before I spoke. "You know, I'm not the only girl in the world. There are tons of us. Don't feel pressured to try settling down with me."

"Dad thinks you know too much," Gohan said. "He told me to mark you so you'll stay with us and no one will know our secret. I don't really want to, though. It's gory and Bulma was out cold for a week when Vegeta did it to her. Do you promise not to tell anyone about us?"

"What the hell am I going to tell them? You live in the mountains and you're all bulky, flying, ageless aliens? No one would believe me even if I did tell them. What is a mark? Tell me what a Saiyan is. You keep throwing words around like they're nothing and I'm completely in the dark."

"If I tell you, you have to stay with me forever."

"Or you could just tell me and skip the 'forever' part."

"Goku won't stand for it," Gohan said. "And I like you. I want to keep you."

I pulled my hand free of his and scowled. "You can't 'keep' me. I'm going home."

Gohan told me to wait and grabbed my arm. When I turned, he was staring intently into my eyes. "Let me take you home. Leave your bedroom window open and I'll be down later to tell you everything."

"Fine."

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**Kanosina**- Well I did warn about some non-con. :) Everyone gets mad at me when I make Gohan aggressive, but I like it.

**TFSrules**- Aw, thank you so much! I try to but if I don't it doesn't bother me too much.


	5. Could You Be The Devil?

**A/N:** Don't say I never warned you of the OOC-ness monster! Anywho, I love this chapter. Couldn't really think of a way to elongate it so I figured I'd publish it to give you guys a little something to read. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**5: Could You Be The Devil?**

The house was quiet that night.

Usually there was a constant hubbub of activity: we had enough servants to populate an entire town and dad typically wanted a lot of things to be done. For some reason, I was able to retire to my room early on, take a hot shower, and climb in bed to wait for Gohan with no interference. I told him to come to my window instead of trying to walk in the front door. Dad blew up just thinking of me having a guy over. He would slam the door in Gohan's face if he dared ask.

I was excited to finally figure out what Gohan was. Winning was a favorite pastime of mine and in this specific circumstance, I had trumped him. Soon he would come in my window, sit on the bed, and tell me all the secrets his family was hiding from the rest of the world. I didn't intend on telling anyone. All I needed was to know the truth. After that, Gohan could go on his merry way. Of course, he had to teach me how to fly first. That had been our initial deal and he wormed out of it.

The knock on the glass came after another hour or so of waiting. I tied my robe around my waist and hopped off the bed to draw back the curtains, heart hammering madly. Not only was I sneaking a boy in my room, but he was an alien from another planet! If my dad woke up or heard us talking he would freak out. It was impossible to see through the tinted glass and the black night, so I just pushed open the window and told him to come inside—quick. Once he was in, I clapped on the nightlights.

It definitely wasn't Gohan.

Goku stood a few feet away from me with his hands on his hips, looking around my room with mild interest. He was still wearing the bright orange training uniform—did he ever take it off?—and acted like he didn't notice my presence. I stared blankly at him as realization dawned upon me: Gohan had been caught sneaking out and his father was here to strongly encourage me to mind my own business. Was he going to kill me? Even if I screamed, it was doubtful anyone would get to my room in time.

"Where's Gohan?" I asked.

"What, no friendly greeting? I was hoping we could all be friends, Videl." Goku smiled and sat on my bed, politely patting a spot beside him as a gesture for me to join him. "Let's talk. He told me you had some questions he absolutely had to answer. I think he likes you so he wants you to stick around."

"He told me you wouldn't stand for it. Aren't you here to tell me to mind my own business?"

"I'd rather you be a part of the family before we tell you anything important but you seem like a nice girl. As long as you can keep a secret it's a-okay with me!"

"Then why not send Gohan? Why did you have to come?"

My new friend's father rubbed the back of his head the same exact way his son did. It was another thing that ran in the family. "He's my kid. I don't want him sneaking off to a girl's house in the middle of the night. Who knows what you crazy kids could get in to? I think I can answer your questions a little better. I know more about our race than Gohan does. Besides, I'm great company."

The reply sounded sincere enough so I uncertainly sat beside Goku on the bed. He smiled and stared at me for a few seconds then suddenly grabbed me by the back of the neck and pinned me to the floor. My windpipe was being crushed from the sheer force of his grip—I knew he could end my life with a flick of his wrist. He leaned down so his lips were almost touching my ear and sighed heavily. Maybe he wasn't as carefree and scatterbrained as Gohan claimed.

"See?" he said. "I told you I'm great company. Now, down to business. I need you to stay away from my family. They are none of your concern. It would be very unfortunate for them if you told anyone about Gohan's alien heritage. And don't tell me you'll keep your mouth shut. If there's something I've learned about humans after living alongside them for so many years, it's that they like to lie. You will not learn how to fly and you will not see him outside of your school. Understood?"

"No," I hissed, unable to say anything more.

"This isn't just for their protection. Gohan is 18 now and he's starting to get urges. You don't want to be around him on the full moon. I'm trying to help everyone."

Were they werewolves? 'Saiyan' could mean 'werewolf' in another language. My eyes traveled to the window and up to the luminescent, round moon that glowed in the sky with no hindrance from clouds. Goku hadn't transformed into a giant man-eating wolf so that theory was kind of shortsighted. My mind raced, trying to think of what could happen to the Son family on the full moon. If I escaped I could spend my Saturday looking it up at the library.

The pressure on my neck decreased and Goku pulled me off the floor by my neck so we were kneeling side-by-side in front of the window. It was difficult to turn my head but I could see him staring at the moon in my peripheral vision and it seemed like his eyes were growing wider. I glanced back and forth between Goku and the moon a few times, trying to figure out what the connection was.

"Hello?" I said. "Can you remove your hand from my neck?"

"The moon… it calls to us." Goku released me and crept towards the window where he knelt with his hands on the sill. It made him look like an obedient puppy. "Make sure you keep your windows locked and shades drawn. Gohan might be out tonight and this is the first place he'll come."

"What? Why would he come here? I thought you said he couldn't leave the house."

"It's hard to explain. I need to leave now but please take me advice. You really do seem like a nice girl." Goku rose to his feet without turning to look at me and opened the window.

"Hey, wait!" I darted forward and grabbed his shoulder to get his attention. "All you did was leave me with more questions than before. And give me a bit of a crick in the neck. You can't just go after telling me all these things! Why did you even come here?"

Goku whirled around and seized my wrists, immediately moving his face very close to mine. I could see lines of color in his black eyes that spiraled around his pupil. He had a flat expression on his face as if he was trying to hold back another emotion. But what? I glared at him, hard, and hoped he might spill the beans on at least a few things. Most importantly, what the hell happened to him and his son during the full moon. It would be nice to know what kind of danger I was in.

We glared at each other for a few more seconds and I noticed Goku's hands trembling slightly, which made my entire arm shake. Even when I looked away to see his wrists starting to shake he stared intently at me like I was a juicy piece of meat. The longer he stared, the more uncomfortable I became. I started twisting my wrists in his grasp to escape but it obviously didn't do me any good. One of his hands slid around my back and up to my neck, where his firmly curled his fingers.

"Watch the back of your neck," Goku said.

I watched him put two fingertips to his forehead and disappear.

After spending a few minutes recovering from the fact that I had seen a person literally vanish into thin air, I shut and locked my window and drew the curtains together. Goku seemed like a friendly person and for him to give me a very physical warning meant I should probably heed his advice. My hand kept going to my neck and rubbing it, trying to protect me from whatever danger Goku spoke of. I was starting to look like Gohan.

My room felt safe enough to sleep in. I turned out the nightlights and crawled under the covers, feeling kind of annoyed that no one had come to check on me. Goku hadn't been very quiet and neither had I, yet no guards came upstairs to see if I was okay. I closed my eyes and settled in for sleep, hoping that Goku's warnings wouldn't come to fruition. He had given me a few answers but ultimately left me with a new set of questions that desperately needed answering.

Just when I hit the brink of deep sleep, I heard a rapid knocking on the window. My eyes flew open to see… well, nothing. The room was completely black, but I could vaguely see the light from the moon hitting my curtain. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw the figure of a man outside standing in front of my window. It had to be one of the Son men because no one else I knew could fly to the second floor of my huge house. I stared at the figure and thought of Goku's warning. _Don't open the window._

_Watch the back of your neck._

The window rattled and I heard scratching on the glass. It wasn't interesting anymore; it was downright terrifying. I wriggled under the sheets and hid my head under the pillow as the scratching sound continued. If it was Gohan, he would owe me some new glass. A few seconds later, the sounds stopped. I waited in terror for a few more minutes but nothing else happened. He must have given up.

I fell asleep to the sound of growling outside.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**super saiyan 4 chichi-** Yay I'm glad! :D

**Kanosina**- I feel like the pressure Goku is under might make him a little darker than his friends think, y'know?

**TFSrules**- Goku might end up being kind of mean, tbh. Gohan definitely won't. He'll have his moments, though. I never plan stories out; I roll with what idea feels interesting at the moment. Imma slacker. :


	6. Magnetizing

**A/N**: Sorry, I know I didn't give you guys much time to review the other chapter. :V I may or may not do a time jump to the next full moon.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**6: Magnetizing**

My firm resolve hadn't slipped at all during my fitful night of sleep. I slowly sat up in bed and massaged my aching neck, vaguely remembering the slew of warnings Goku had left me with several hours ago. My eyes drifted across the room to the window where my curtains were already drawn back by the maids. A myriad of crazed lines were etched into the glass as if the person had been struggling desperately to get the window open. I cracked my neck and shuddered. Gohan or his father could have easily shattered the glass. What had stopped them?

One of the maids knocked on my door and approached me when I gave her permission to enter. She set my clothes for the day on the bed and glanced between my gaze and the window. "It looks like someone really wanted to get in your room last night. Your father is terrified, you know. He thinks it was a boy and he doesn't want you going anywhere. But don't worry, I won't tell him if you do."

"Thanks," I said.

She stuck around in hopes that I would dish out all my secrets to her but left after a couple of minutes. I rose from the bed and pulled on my clothes, intent on making my way to Gohan's house to get my flying lessons. Goku didn't scare me. Sure he was huge and possibly an alien, but my determination to get answers was no match for him lackluster intimidation skills. I secretly hoped he'd show up so he could see I wasn't going to give in to a little roughhousing.

The maid's warning was empty. Dad had left the house a while ago to have the window repaired and bring the police down to investigate. I knew they wouldn't find anything. The chauffer offered to bring me where I needed to go but I declined, opting to walk back to the Son house. There was no reason to involve anyone else in my debacle. I'd get my answers, figure out how to fly, and everything would be much better. Gohan and I might even stay friends in the end.

When I was out a good distance in the woods trying to find my way, I heard sobbing in the bushes a few feet off the path. Curious, I picked my way through the dense brush toward the source of the noise until it opened up to a small clearing. A man was sitting to the side with his knees drawn up to hide his face and torn, bloody clothes barely covering his body. Twigs and leaves were sticking out of his thick black hair and I made the connection to who it was just as he turned to look at me.

"Gohan?" I whispered.

The kid looked half-crazed. His black eyes flickered up and down my body for a few seconds then moved to the ground and quickly darted back up to me. When I took a step toward him, he drew away and waved a hand at me. The beds of his nails were purple and bloody. His nails were torn and jagged, like he had been scratching at glass…

"At first I didn't remember what happened," he said, "but I was starting to walk home when it all came back. I went to your house…" He stopped and held his head like it was about to explode. "All I know is that I wanted to get in very badly. I scratched and tore at the glass but dad came and told me to wait. So I left and I think I fought a bear at some point. I just wanted to tear something to pieces."

"What did your father want you to wait for?"

"I don't remember. I just know he told me to wait and I stood outside whimpering and growling for a while. The urge to break in to your room was so intense. I'm lucky he showed up."

"Let me get this straight. Under the full moon, you go insane with bloodlust. For some reason, you wanted to break into my room and kill me but instead, you had a fight with a bear. Is there some sort of radioactivity near your house? I'm starting to get a bit worried, Gohan."

Gohan smiled bleakly. "It was my first night as a man. It runs in the family."

No more answers were forthcoming, so I helped Gohan to his feet and led him to a small river across the path. He knelt down and started drinking straight out of the brook while I examined the deep lacerations across his back. He wasn't lying. The bear had gotten him pretty good and he'd need medical attention to keep anything from getting infected. He took off his shirt and I tore it into strips to tie around the deepest wounds, making sure to avoid touching them.

We started back towards his house and Gohan eventually walked on his own. It obviously wasn't the time to pry him for answers or ask for a flying lesson. The poor guy needed a friend more than anything. The more I checked his injuries, the angrier I became. How could Goku let his son fight a bear?! He was paranoid about him being alone with a girl but he was more than welcome to scuffle with wild animals. Technically, he had saved my life, though. It could have been me instead of the bear.

Chi-Chi was outside putting up laundry when we arrived. She turned with a huge smile but it instantly disappeared when she saw Gohan's less than pristine state. One of her dainty hands covered her mouth in horror the closer we came and he suddenly slumped to the side near the door. I managed to catch him in time and his mother helped me bring him inside.

"What happened?" Chi-Chi demanded, already putting on a pot of boiling water. "Don't tell me Goku put you up to this. I knew I heard you moving around last night!"

Gohan sat on the couch with a grimace. "It's my instinct, mom. You know that. Dad did the same thing when he was my age and that's how you two had me. It only happens on the full moon and I can control it better the longer it happens. Don't worry about it."

"My son was almost torn apart by kami knows what," Chi-Chi said. "I am not calm."

"I found him in the woods," I offered.

"Well thank heavens for your new friend!"

When Chi-Chi set to cleaning Gohan's wounds with the hot water, I headed upstairs to find the hydrogen peroxide in their bathroom. As I sifted through their messy medicine cabinet, I heard the door creak open slightly behind me. I turned to see Goten standing in the frame with his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled at me and rose up on his tiptoes like he was going to ask me a favor.

"Daddy said you aren't supposed to come here," Goten said. "But I like you. You're nice. My friend Trunks thinks you're nice, too!"

Another kid with purple hair stepped out from behind Goten. He looked like a troublemaker—it was hard to pin on one specific attribute, but something about him seemed mischievous. Trunks grinned and leaned against the door with Goten to watch me search for the hydrogen peroxide. Little kids were weird. They had probably hidden it somewhere else and wanted to play hide-and-seek. That or they were going to tell Goku I had ignored his warning.

"Gohan really likes you," Trunks said. "He's gonna wait until the next full moon and chomp down on you. Then Goku will stop pestering us to keep an eye on you."

My spine prickled. Chomp down on me? Did that have to do with marking?

"Dad says I can do it to a girl I really like one day," Goten said, casually offering me the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. "You just bite down really hard by the back of their neck and then you'll be together forever! Only adults can do it, though."

"You… bite down on the girl's neck?" I croaked.

"Right by the spine," Trunks added.

I took the bottle from Goten and awkwardly left the bathroom, glancing over my shoulder to see the two of them watching me go. What kind of backwards hick family had I found? None of them were aliens, they were all just completely berserk. Why would you bite another person's neck? That explained why Goku kept telling me to watch that specific part of my body. Gohan could do it to me and then I'd have some sort of spinal problems afterwards.

Chi-Chi thanked me profusely for finding her son and left shortly after I started cleaning his lacerations with the hydrogen peroxide. She claimed she was going to town to get some more supplies to fix him up but I could tell from the dangerous look on her face that she was paying Goku a visit first. I carefully dabbed at Gohan's skin and he didn't seem to feel pain from the peroxide. He stared at the wall blankly without saying much of anything. It only made me angrier.

"Why did you do this?" I asked. "You could have been killed."

"I didn't have a choice. If Piccolo hadn't pulled off my tail when I was a kid, I could have learned to control it like my dad and Vegeta."

"Who pulled off _what_?! You had a _tail?!"_

Gohan smacked his forehead and looked away from me. "Um… no. It's a uh… figure of speech. Obviously I don't have tail, Videl. That's not even possible. But I'm getting kind of hungry so do you want to help me make breakfast? Trunks and Goten can go find some things outside for us."

The boys were standing at the top of the stairs listening in on our conversation. Goten glanced between us and made an exaggerated biting motion that made Gohan turn beet red. Trunks laughed and egged his friend on, helping him mimic what I guessed Gohan had called 'marking.' Soon enough, my patient got off the couch and chased the kids upstairs, yelling at them to stop mocking him. I watched them go until I heard the doorbell. Thinking it was Chi-Chi, I pulled it open without checking the peephole.

Goku wedged his foot in the door before I could slam it shut again. He looked a little haggard but not nearly as bad as his son. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was around and pushed my way outside so Goku and I could have a talk. He put his arms behind his head casually and leaned against a small tree planted right next to the Son house. Nothing about my angry expression worried him.

"Why was Gohan fighting wild animals?" I asked, setting my hands on my hips.

His father grinned. "Why not? It's fun!"

"No it is not fun, he could have been torn apart. You should go see what he looks like. Luck for you I found him in the woods on my way here. The only thing I have to thank you for is keeping him out of my room. If it wasn't for you, I would have been dead instead of the bear."

"Dead? No, Gohan wouldn't have come in your bedroom to kill you." Goku winked and stared pointedly at my neck. "That's what he wanted. But you shouldn't worry too much until the next full moon rises."

"He isn't going to bite me. Stop saying that."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Gohan and the younger boys came outside at that point, finally done chasing each other. Goten leapt into his father's arms and began eagerly telling him about how Gohan hadn't bitten me and that he delivered the warning when he helped me find the hydrogen peroxide. I glanced at Gohan and was annoyed to see that he didn't look the least bit irritated knowing that his father had been threatening me. Even a hint of anger would've been nice.

"Videl is gonna be my new big sister!" Goten said.

"Be quiet," Gohan hissed.

"Don't pressure him. He'll do what he wants to in time." Goku gave me an eerie sort of smile and moved Goten to his back. "Well, we're heading out. I promised the boys we could hunt the Dragon Balls today. Right after we get some breakfast."

Trunks flew into the air and was soon followed by Goku, who was supporting Goten around his neck. They all waved goodbye and Goten made one more obnoxious chomping motion before they disappeared over a line of trees. It reminded me that I still had yet to learn how to fly. That would be a handy trick for fighting crime in the city.

"They are so embarrassing," Gohan said.

"You're not going to bite me, are you?"

There was no response.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**TFSrules**- Mwahaha I'm converting Vegeta-lovers!


	7. Be Afraid

**A/N**: Accidentally started a love rectangle. Whoops! At least it isn't a harem. I hate harems.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**7: Be Afraid**

A couple hours later, Gohan was feeling well enough to teach me how to fly. It was hard to hide my excitement as we walked off toward the lake together where I had first learned about energy. Chi-Chi gave us a picnic lunch complete with a checkered blanket and happily watched us until we disappeared behind the line of trees. I knew she meant well but it was kind of creepy how she actively encouraged her son and me to be alone together. It wasn't like Gohan and I were dating or anything.

The lake was even more gorgeous in the sunlight. I fanned out the blanket on the ground and Gohan set aside the basket of food to sit on it cross-legged, already positioned to remind me how to summon my energy. The air was thick and insects buzzed past us heading in all different directions; it as hard for me to focus. Sweat beaded on my brow and was dripping down my cheek before I managed to generate a flickering ball of light between my hands.

Gohan smiled when I started running the ball of light between my fingers. "Good, now that you can control it well enough we can work on redirecting it underneath your body. It becomes second nature after a while but for now you'll need to focus pretty hard. And don't float too high up in the sky because it's gonna hurt if you get distracted and fall."

Flying was just as easy as it looked. Learning how to move the energy underneath me was confusing at first but when I figured it out, I never wanted to walk on my two feet again. Floating in the sky feeling my pulsating energy was ethereal: it felt like a wonderful dream I wanted to stay in forever. I soared up above the treetops to see the Son house nestled in the forest a distance away. Even more impressive was the sprawling city that looked miniature from such a length.

We went for a little trip over the mountains, flying alongside birds that weren't quite sure what to make of us. It opened up a whole new world for me, one where I wasn't restricted by the confines of gravity. Now I was free to go where I wanted whenever I wanted. Gohan had liberated me from my earthly prison and I was tremendously grateful, yet I knew I had no way to repay him. Keeping his dirty secrets could count if I stretched things.

Eventually, my energy ran dry and we returned to the lake for our picnic. Gohan was healing very rapidly but I didn't press him with questions: there were many things I might never know about him. He thanked me when I offered him a sandwich and we ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the warm sunshine and birds chirping in the trees. If I had my way, I would drop out of school and live in the wilderness like Gohan's family did. It seemed peaceful.

It wasn't until I was cleaning up our trash when I noticed Gohan's eyes focused intently on my neck. He didn't hesitate even though I tried covering it with what little hair I had after the cut. Maybe they were vampire-werewolves. That would explain the obsession with the throat area and why they didn't like the full moon. I cleared my throat a few times until Gohan snapped out of his trance and returned to staring at the ground. I liked it better when he was meek.

"Do you want to make a deal?" Gohan asked, tugging at the grass.

"What kind of deal?"

He glanced up at my neck again and his cheeks turned pink. "Let me bite you. I want to know what all the fuss is about. I'll tell you whatever you want to know after."

"You're not biting me. It won't do anything but make me bleed."

"Then what's the big deal? It'll take a few seconds and you can know whatever you want." Gohan leaned forward on his hands and knees, all traces of shyness gone. "Then dad will trust you and we can hang out whenever you want. So if you just let me try it once—"

"What about you keeping me after? That was what you told me last night. You're trying to trick me into letting you so I won't leave. Besides, we already had a deal about you telling me all your secrets. Remember? I know I do and I won't forget until you tell me everything. Including why you healed so fast and survived being attacked by a bear."

"I'm a descendant from an alien warrior race called the Saiyans," Gohan said without looking away from me. "It makes me heal rapidly and gives me an ingrained desire to fight. Being half-blooded, I was unluckily born with a tail which would normally make me transform into a giant gorilla under the full moon. My mentor from when I was a kid tore it off, but the blood still runs through me. I get so many different urges at once that I don't know—oh, never mind."

Gohan closed the remaining space between us and kissed me full on the lips, quickly pushing me onto my back. My mind was racing with even more questions when he deepened the kiss and I wasn't quite sure how I would get myself out of the awkward situation. He made a growling noise when I shifted a little under his weight and pulled away, panting like he had run a mile. His eyes were doing the same erratic movements from when I had found him in the woods.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I scowled up at him. "You can't tell me things like that and kiss me right after. That's not really an opportune moment. And there's still some stuff I'd like to know."

"We can talk later." Gohan cradled my head in one of his huge hands and kissed me again even more eagerly than before. His other hand was propping him up so all of his weight wasn't resting on my body, but I could feel him struggling to keep from pushing up against me. He was wildly excited.

"Relax," I said, blushing furiously when he abandoned my mouth to kiss my neck. "We're out in the open; I don't want anyone seeing us. Especially one of your parents. That would be awkward…"

"You're really small, Videl. I'm afraid I might break you."

"Is… that a threat?"

"No!" Gohan stopped the assault of my neck to look at me intently, but he quickly broke down and started turning red. Even the tips of his ears got a hint of extra color. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud and rude. I'm just saying, you're tiny and I'm big." To prove his point, he closed his hand over one of mine, easily obscuring it.

"Kakarot's son finally proving to be a man. I never thought I'd see the day."

We both turned to see a rather short man with black hair that stood on end sitting in a tree several feet away, casually dangling on leg down and smirking at Gohan and me. Gohan unwillingly got off me and helped me sit up. There were all sorts of twigs and leaves stuck in my hair. The blanket had become a crumpled, dirty mess and I wasn't sure how we would explain it to Chi-Chi. My skin looked pinkish and I felt extremely hot—the lake was looking very attractive.

The stranger leaned back against the tree trunk. "Trunks told me you'd be here, Gohan. You will all be joining us at Bulma's for dinner tonight. If you two are too busy rolling around in the grass, my wife will be very unhappy. So I suggest getting your things, going home, and cleaning up."

"This is Vegeta," Gohan said. "He's a pure-blooded Saiyan like my father. Trunks, Goten, Bulla and I are all half-blooded. So our race is going to end in a few generations."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Vegeta said, giving me an odd look.

"Are all of you long-lived?" I asked. It was better to avoid the creepy stares instead of addressing them. "Goku and this guy look really young but I'm guessing they're older. How old are you, Gohan? You're not thirty or something, are you?"

"No. I'm your age. My father was granted immortality but that's a really long story." Gohan looked up at Vegeta and smiled icily. "We're all set now that you've delivered your message. We'll be down to Capsule Corp in a couple of hours. Thanks for all your help."

"You're leaving now," Vegeta said. "I know you've just discovered women, but you have your entire life to waste your time with them."

Gohan grumbled something about Vegeta being a buzz kill while he gathered up the blanket. Once everything was packed, we flew into the air behind Vegeta, who would occasionally turn to make sure we were still following. I knew he interrupted us for more than one reason. It was nice to see an actual adult Gohan could turn to in times of need. Goku acted like more of an older brother, encouraging his son to do what his body told him. Chi-Chi was blinded by her excitement.

We landed outside the Son house where Chi-Chi was straightening up her garden outside. She glanced between the three of us and quickly put the puzzle together. It was easy to tell she had been a fighter in her younger days. Gohan accepted a kiss on the cheek from her and she pulled me in to a hug, apparently under the impression we had done more than just making out. Vegeta leaned against another tree with his arms crossed and closed his eyes. He was awfully cocky.

Once inside, Gohan offered me the shower first which I gladly accepted. I hurried upstairs to their small bathroom, shut and locked the door, then turned to figure out how to get the thing started. I immediately ran face-first into a familiar orange training outfit…

"Hi!" Goku said, grinning from ear to ear. "I heard you and Gohan are coming to Bulma's for dinner."

"What in Kami's name are you doing in the bathroom?" I hissed.

"Just uh… hanging out. How'd the flying lessons go? I was actually training Goten when Vegeta showed up demanding to know where you two had gone. Guess he really wants us all there for dinner."

"Your mood swings are giving me whiplash."

"Well now that you probably know everything about us I guess there's no reason for me to be rude. Funny how we keep running into each other like this." He glanced down at his shirt where I had bumped into him. "Literally running into each other. Anyway, hope to see you at dinner. It's too bad Gohan still hasn't told you a couple things, though. I guess he will sooner or later."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "No, wait, I'm not asking. You're trying to egg me on."

"Come with me and I'll give you a little history lesson."

It seemed like a terrible idea. The last time I had been alone with Goku he nearly broke my neck. But Gohan had left some holes open in his explanation that desperately needed filling. I tapped my chin thoughtfully before finally agreeing to go with Goku. He smirked and took my wrist then placed two fingers to his forehead again. We disappeared in a flash of otherworldly light.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**super saiyan 4 chichi-** Is it bad I could tell they were yours? I think it is... I always wondered when exactly Gohan completely spilled everything to her about his family. She gets pieces here and there but the full story doesn't come together in the anime.

**Kanosina-** Yes, very rocky. But that always makes things more interesting!

**TFSrules**- It's looking like that but I'm gonna try to stay away from everyone being head over heels for her. Yet love rectangles are so fun.


	8. Different DNA

**A/N**: I wrote this chapter at three different points throughout the day so forgive me if it jumps around a bit. I love it, though. I've gotta start building the main relationship! And I'm sorry, but I'm posting this real quick before my friend comes over so no time to address reviews. But you guys know I love you! 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**8: Different DNA**

We appeared outside of a small house in an instant. Smoke curled from the chimney into the steadily darkening sky—since when had the weather turned nasty? While I stood staring up at the clouds they suddenly released a torrent of rain that drenched me to the bone in seconds. Goku laughed and ushered me inside the tiny house, which was even more microscopic than Gohan's. I wondered how such a big man could be comfortable living in a tiny space.

The inside of Goku's house was extremely messy, kind of like a kid's room. Various rocks and pretty leaves were scattered around the floor and a gigantic pterodactyl egg was resting underneath a heating lamp in what I assumed was the kitchen. A fire was burning in the living room and was precariously close to some dirty training clothes he had yet to wash. The orange outfit must have been a favorite look of his because he seemed to have ten different copies of it.

Before I could ask anything Goku was peeling off his wet shirt and moved on to his pants. I smacked his hand, turning red at the thought of being alone with a naked man. It wasn't that I hadn't thought about it; I just never considered putting it into practice. At least, not for a long time.

Goku frowned and his enormous muscles loosened up a bit. "Do you leave wet clothes on where you're from? Because usually I take them off so I don't get a chill. Here, I can help you." He grabbed the hem of my shirt and gently tugged upwards, obviously intending on me lifting my arms so he could pull it off. His skin touched me and I realized they were all hot—both figuratively and literally _hot._

"You can start by explaining why you're so warm," I said, squirming out of Goku's grasp.

"I'm not really sure. I think it's because Saiyans have a lot of energy inside them and high metabolisms. My body kind of works twice as hard as a regular human's. That's why it's easier for us to put on and keep muscle. We can fight until the day we die."

"So why did you have to bring me all the way out here? Vegeta's gonna be mad we ditched the party and I don't think your son will be too happy, either. They'll think we were… you know. Doing stuff."

"You mean sex?" Goku asked unabashedly.

"What the hell else could I mean? Pilates?"

"What's a 'pilates?' It sounds kind of tasty!"

I stared at Goku for a few seconds before shaking my head and searching for somewhere to sit. He noticed and took my hand to lead me up a creaky staircase to the second floor, which only had a bathroom and bedroom. It was kind of weird for me to be hanging out alone with my friend's father. But for some reason, I really didn't want to leave. Goku would give me the answers I wanted and he was nice enough. Except for the time he pinned me to the floor.

We entered the bedroom and Goku walked to his dresser, rummaging through orange clothes. The ceiling was vaulted so it gave the illusion that there was extra space. What appeared to be a custom made bed was situated in the center of the room and black curtains blocked out the thunderstorm outside, making the room very dark. There was no junk on the floor, just a ton of shredded pillows falling out of the closet, spilling feathers everywhere. I turned to see a huge, heavy-duty lock on the bedroom door. It was where he hid himself during the full moon.

I sat on the bed when Goku started taking off his pants and quickly averted my eyes. "Gohan told me you and Vegeta can control yourselves under the full moon. Why do you have the window blocked out and a big lock if that's true? What kinds of things do you do if you're set loose?"

"It depends of which one of us you're talking about," Goku said. "Vegeta likes to destroy things. Gohan likes killing. It reflects your deepest desires and brings them to the surface. Vegeta and I can kind of control ourselves but I don't like to risk it so I just hole myself up at home. It's better than having to live with regret, right?"

"What do you do?" I asked.

Something soft landed on my lap and I risked taking a peek to see a big orange shirt with a kanji symbol on the back. Kami, he was obsessed.

"Nothing I can't handle," Goku said softly.

To my relief, he had politely turned to face the wall so I could put the dry clothes on in peace. I stripped off my wet t-shirt and shorts to put on the shirt, which also went down to my knees. There was a pair of pants along with the shirt but they would just make it more difficult to move, so I folded them up neatly and cleared my throat so Goku knew I was done. He turned and joined me on the bed, still shirtless but wearing a dry pair of pants.

"What else do you want to know?" he asked. "Our home planet, Vegeta, was destroyed a long time ago so we're the last of our race. Vegeta was actually our prince."

"Wait, is Vegeta your planet or your prince?"

"It's our planet, prince, and king."

"…Oh. That makes perfect sense. You must have been the people I saw on TV when dad was fighting Cell a couple years back. I knew he couldn't do it on his own. Thankfully you were there to keep him from getting himself killed. Mom and I were worried about him."

"I sort of figured he was cut out to fight someone like that." Goku rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "His heart's in the right place, though."

We talked for a while longer about the Saiyan race, some guy called Frieza, and a couple of other people Goku knew. One was Piccolo, another alien from a planet even more distant than Goku's, and the other was Dende, who overlooked Earth on a giant floating island in the sky. The longer we talked, the more animated Goku became telling his stories. It was fantastical and I found most of it hard to believe, but the detail was so great that I let myself imagine some of it was real.

It was nice finally knowing the truth. Goku apologized for the incident in my bedroom and told me he was fiercely protective of the people he loved. He left a few minutes later to get some tea downstairs and I found myself smiling like an idiot. They were a nice family. Gohan could use some more help coming out of his shell and I wanted to learn how to become a better fighter. We could all help each other out in different ways. I was leaning back against the bed when something shiny caught my eye.

A small pile of absolutely beautiful glass orbs was nestled in a black bag near the closet. I got up to investigate and picked one up, marveling at how clear it was. They were tinted orange and each had a different amount of stars engraved deep within. Somehow, holding them gave me a strange sense of power. I put back the one I had picked—it had four stars—when I noticed another interesting object. It was a note, folded up several times to make it scarcely recognizable.

_Remember to hold the Dragon Balls until the right moment. Don't be hasty. -Bulma_

I heard feet on the stairs and quickly jammed the note back in the bag, then hopped on the bed and tried to act casual. So those were the Dragon Balls Goku had mentioned earlier. What could they do? Was it a good idea for me to ask about them? Probably not. They seemed important and Goku had chosen not to mention them for a reason. When he walked in the bedroom with our tea, I smiled and accepted my mug with murmured thanks.

Goku nodded his head toward the window. "It's really pouring outside. We should probably stay here for the night. Even I can't fly home through this kind of weather."

"What about that cool disappearing trick you can do?"

"It… has to recharge. Anyway, you can sleep in the bed and I'll go on the floor. Gohan might even come by later if the rain lets up." Goku paused, looking thoughtful. "He'll probably be mad you were sleeping here. But it's okay with me! I like company."

My heart was pounding as I politely sipped my tea. It didn't need to recharge. Goku was trying to keep me in his house. But why? Was he going to permanently shut me up? Worse, did he intend on biting me because Gohan still hadn't? My hand absently slid up to my neck and stayed there, vainly communicating to Goku that I did not want him anywhere in the vicinity of my throat. I glanced at him and my heartbeat turned erratic. His eyes were focused on the hand guarding my neck.

_Breathe_, I thought. _If you don't relax, he'll know you're on to him. _

"You were married to Chi-Chi?" I asked.

Goku tore his eyes away from my neck and nodded. "For a while. We kind of jumped into it and she knew as well as I did that we'd never get along. There's no hard feelings, though. She just doesn't like that I bring Goten out to my house all the time. I wish she let me do the same thing with Gohan so he didn't grow up to be so shy."

"He's really smart, though."

"Yeah, she always preferred brains over brawn." Goku started picking at his blue sheets and placed his mug on the nightstand. "I tried to do what she wanted but I couldn't. My grandpa raised me in a simple life and I like simplicity. It's definitely a lot less stressful than the city."

"Tell me about it."

"You really are a nice girl, Videl. Bulma says you're the most powerful female fighter in the world. She does a lot of that science stuff—charts and graphs. She wanted to meet you tonight but I wanted you more." Goku stopped and blushed. "I don't mean that like I _wanted _you, I mean I wanted to talk to you. Gohan's knowledge of our race is all kind of secondary so I figured it'd be better for you to talk to me."

"I've noticed you all keep staring at my neck," I said, trying to ignore that fact that he was turning redder by the minute. "Is that how you are around all women? Do you just want to bite them?"

"No, it's a little more complicated than that. You happen to be a strong woman with a stronger personality. We're all kind of attracted to that. Vegeta's wife, Bulma, isn't physically strong but she's certainly intense. Chi-Chi was a great fighter when she was younger and that's what drew me to her. It's too bad our personalities clashed so much. We all kind of get competitive when there's an appealing woman around. We get the urge to mark them."

"What is marking? Is it permanent?"

Goku shook his head and started playing with the hem of the shirt I was wearing. "No. It lasts for a really long time, though. Vegeta had to redo his mark on Bulma three times so far. All it does is leave a scar so other Saiyans know you're taken. It's sort of pointless but we do it anyway."

"It's a bite and nothing else?"

"Well usually you have sex, too." He was poking at my calf now.

"Oh. Okay, I think I'm ready for bed. I want to wake up early so I can catch Gohan before I go to church." I stretched my arms toward the ceiling and yawned. "Thanks for all the help. Guess I'll see you when we wake up tomorrow."

"Would it be okay if I slept here with you?" Goku asked. The way he was looking at me suggested I shouldn't refuse.

I agreed and pulled back the sheets to nestle underneath them, soon joined by Goku. It was hard to believe we had just met a day before and I was already technically in bed with him. I knew it was supposed to feel wrong and I should have been offended by his advances, but I wasn't. I liked it. He lay beside me and hesitated before putting an arm over my waist.

We fell asleep to the pounding rain.


	9. Clean Slate

**A/N:** Why is this story so much fun to write? DEAR GOD. You guys give me so much encouragement. 3 Whenever I read a new review I wanna run home and type away for hours on end. :D Btw no more Katy Perry titles.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**9: Clean Slate**

A steady knocking sound gradually woke me up the next morning. It became increasingly obnoxious as time passed until I couldn't ignore it anymore and unwillingly opened my eyes. All I could see was a very dark shade of orange and a small sliver of skin. My awareness started returning and I soon realized my body was completely entangled with Goku's, who was still fast asleep. One of his bulky arms was draped across my back, idly fingering the hem of my shirt in his dreams and the other was supporting my head while his hand stroked my spine. He was warm and smelled vaguely of pine trees.

I wriggled in Goku's grasp, trying to get up to answer the door, and he muttered something before tightening his arms. He nuzzled his face in my hair and inhaled deeply, apparently unaware of his actions. While I pushed against his rock solid chest I tried to think of why I had agreed to let him share the bed with me. That didn't sound like a good idea regardless of the threat. He had inadvertently trapped me and I had no chance of getting up until he came out of his dreams.

My heart pounded in time with the impatient person demanding Goku let them in. Kami, I was lying in bed with some kid's father. We knew each other a little bit but if anyone saw us lying in bed together they would automatically assume the worst. As far as I knew, Goku and I hadn't done anything wrong the night before. My cheeks flushed with heat when a telltale lump pressed against my stomach. He was doing something wrong in his dream, though.

"…Goku? Who is that in bed with you?"

The voice was unfamiliar and female so I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Goku stirred a few seconds later and yawned loudly, stretching out his long legs beneath the sheets. I felt his skin brush against mine and his arms tightened around me as his morning stretch reached its peak. His grip slackened a couple of seconds later; I soon realized he had taken his pants off at some point during the night. He carefully slipped his arms from underneath me, gently resting me on my side. His brawny fingers clumsily moved the hair from my face and the woman laughed.

"Isn't that Gohan's girlfriend? Don't tell me you took away her innocence."

"No," Goku said, "she had some questions and we ended up falling asleep. I was going to do it. It was hard resisting with Chi-Chi but this is downright painful. When can we make the wish? Today?"

"There's still some testing I need to do. Shenron can grant the wish but I'm not sure if it will leave her stable. Besides, it'd be better to tell her instead of just throwing such a huge responsibility on her shoulders. I wouldn't worry about her not agreeing to it."

"I guess. I knew from the minute I met her she would be perfect. Gohan is going to be upset."

"It only makes sense for her to be with a pure-blooded Saiyan. I wasn't expecting you to get attached to her so quickly."

Rough fingers stroked my hair. "Me neither."

The woman sat down on the bed and sighed heavily. "If all goes well, you'll end up restarting your race. Just make sure you don't scare her off. Try to keep an eye on her and watch Gohan, too. He seems to like her a lot and we don't want them getting too involved. You and Vegeta are the only pure-blooded Saiyans left. I think it goes without saying that my husband isn't sleeping with a teenager."

"I'll wait until the next full moon," Goku said.

The newcomer must have been Bulma, who was married to the rude short guy who interrupted Gohan and I. But that was the least of my concerns. The weird family I had gotten mixed up with intended on somehow turning me into a Saiyan, the alien race from the far reaches of the universe. I didn't know how they could wish for that to happen but Bulma had a back-up plan and they had been waiting for someone like me for a long time. It wouldn't surprise me if the night Goku had threatened me in my bedroom was just a test to see if I could tolerate becoming a warrior.

Even worse, they wanted to use me as a breeding machine. My throat felt tight when I thought of Goku's gigantic arms wrapped around me in the heat of the moment. He could kill me by accident. He was physically struggling not to mark me. Now he was going to be following me around, watching my every move to make sure I didn't try to escape. They were going to keep Gohan and me apart because he was only half-Saiyan and us having kids meant even more diluted offspring. The master race was trying to make a resurgence and Goku and I would be the head of it.

There had been a few times when I questioned my judgment in the past but this situation definitely took the cake. Gohan had seemed like a weird kid and I felt bad for him, so I tried to be nice and be his friend. It was too bad that his entire family was completely insane. My breathing started becoming heavy as I became more and more terrified under the sheets. They wanted me to be a science project. Their tests had been completed and I was their best option.

A warm hand settled on my side. "She's awake."

It was a vain attempt but I knew I had to try. I rolled of the side of the bed onto the floor and bolted for the window, tearing back the curtains to see what I was up against. A huge padlock barred me from pulling it open; yet another defense against Goku going on a murderous rampage. He was on me a few seconds later and twisted my arms behind my back to keep me from struggling. When he pinned me on the bed by the back of my neck, Bulma rose to her feet, tossing her blue hair over her shoulder.

"You'd better bring her to King Kai so he can wipe out her memory," she said. "We don't want her figuring everything out too early, right?"

"No!" I shrieked, kicking wildly. "You can't do this!"

"Maybe I can just keep her here," Goku suggested meekly. He had pinned me frontways so I couldn't see his face, but I could imagine he wasn't very happy with what he was doing. Our chat had taught me a few things about him: mainly, that he was pacifistic unless provoked.

"People are going to be scouring the area if the daughter of Hercule Satan goes missing. Plus, I don't think Gohan can deal with the guilt. Nor can you. It's easier if we just make her forget our private conversation. If you don't do the honors, Vegeta can."

"He's been a very bad influence on you," Goku said.

"Whatever. Just do what you need to and bring her to Capsule Corp later. Since you skipped out on the party last night we'll have to have another today to make up for it."

"You're all crazy!" I screamed as she walked out of the room.

The door shut behind Bulma and Goku quickly turned me on my back so we were facing each other. He pinned my arms above my head while I kicked furiously at the weak spot between his legs. His spiky black hair was pointing in every direction; he'd been moving around a lot while we were sleeping the night before. He maneuvered his elbow to hold my wrist down and used his free hand to cover my mouth. When I finally settled down, his black eyes moved down to my neck. Not again.

Goku noticed my panicked expression and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm just looking. I really don't want to make you forget anything but Bulma's right. It's gonna be hard getting you to agree to anything otherwise. We can bring back my people and teach them kindness and how to control themselves instead of letting them go on rampages across the galaxy.

"But it's wrong to trick you like that. You should know what we want to do and make your own decision. If you don't want to become a Saiyan, you don't have to." He sighed and rested his head on my chest. "It's too bad I'm so darn impatient. I want everything to happen now instead of waiting months on end for you to decide to help us. We could do it by force… but that isn't fair, either. Why didn't you just wake up and leave the room so we could talk? Now everything is mixed up."

When I started struggling and gnawing at the palm of his hand, Goku finally freed my mouth. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath before I could talk and try to convince him that they were all wrong. I had fallen into their lap at the perfect moment. It could have been fate. Maybe karma had forgotten all the great deeds I did for the city and decided to double back and bite me in the ass.

"Take me home," I said. "You know this is wrong."

"Sorry, but I can't. It isn't all bad. Saiyans are strong and proud; you'll be able to defeat three times as many criminals as before. It all works out in the end for everyone."

"Except the part where I'm expected to help carry on your race."

"Well it would be nice if you agreed to it but I guess if you really don't want to then you don't have to. Bulma can probably use her lab to make them outside of us. But I'm not sure any human woman would be able to carry a Saiyan baby. We're kinda heavy and we take a lot of energy."

"What if we told her you had my memory erased and you didn't do it?"

"I'm a really bad liar…"

When he moved to push two fingers to his forehead, I grabbed his wrist. "I'll let you bite me. We can't do the other part but if you want to so bad, go ahead. You just have to promise not to bring me to that Kai guy, whoever he is, and let me keep my memory."

Goku's hand lowered and he stared at me for a minute, trying to decide if the deal was worth the risk. My heart was racing as his eyes drilled hard into mine. It was a tempting offer for him but I wasn't sure what it would mean for me. Anything was better than having some guy poking around in my memories, even if it did involve bites to the back of my neck. Goku slowly slid his hand up my shoulder until his fingers were scarcely touching the edge of my throat.

"I was married to Chi-Chi for a long time," he said quietly. "In all those years, despite how many times Vegeta pressured me, I never marked her. It isn't something I take lightly. It's strange, but I want it to mean something, which is why you can't keep your memories. You can know the truth when the time is right. Until then, you'll have to be in the dark."

Before I could protest, Goku swiftly pinched a pressure point at the crux of my neck and shoulder. The image of his unkempt black hair swirled in my vision for a few seconds before I passed out.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**TFSrules-** Nope he sure doesn't! I kinda made Gohan a pussy in this, though. Hehe.

**super saiyan 4 chichi**- Even though she's about to forget some vital things. Poor Videl can't win yet again.

**Kanosina-** Thank you so much! I'm really attached to this pairing now, too.

**Cottoncandy101-** Yes ma'am (or sir). That's way down the road, though. I spend more time with romantic drama over action.


	10. Awakening

**A/N:** As usual, poor Videl. Heehee

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**10: Awakening**

"Be careful. When she wakes up, she won't remember anything you told her. She'll be very agitated and might not even clearly recall who you are. Take it slow and wait until she's figured things out for herself before you start telling her what happened. Even a small slip-up can bring the memories back to the forefront of her mind and she'll be able to remember everything, which means I went to all that effort for nothing. Tread carefully."

The disembodied voice felt very far away. As soon as I heard the words, they were forgotten. My mind was in a thick haze of confusion—where was I? Who was talking? What had they said? What did it mean? As I slowly became conscious, the feeling came back to my appendages and they would stir slightly as a tingle passed through them. Either I had been knocked unconscious or drank a lot of alcohol the night before. My eyes opened slowly to take in the new day…

Goku was sitting at the foot of the bed with his legs crossed Indian-style. I sat up very quickly in surprise and slumped over again when my head started pounding furiously. Yep, must have been alcohol. The person speaking hadn't been Goku, so I had no idea if I had imagined it or they were really in the room. More importantly, Goku didn't have a shirt or pants on, just black boxers. Dread spread through me as I checked to see what I was wearing and only discovered a white nightgown. Oh no.

"We went to Bulma's party last night," Goku said, "and you uh… drank a lot? I mean, you drank a lot." He was rubbing the back of his head with a strangely focused look on his face. "Anyways, everyone's going there again tonight and I figured you could come with us. You and Gohan have school tomorrow so we'll make sure you're home early enough to get some sleep."

Through my sleepy haze, I vaguely wondered where my Saturday had gone to. I cradled my head in one hand and threw back the sheets to get out of bed, but Goku was there in a heartbeat to push me back down on the mattress. He shrugged sheepishly when I shot him an acerbic glare. What was he doing? If I wanted to leave, I had every right to, tired or not. It was just a little hangover. Besides, if he and I had… _been together, _I needed to go home and make sure everything was still in order. Goku was a big guy and though I couldn't remember it, he probably had a huge—

"Videl? Are you awake?"

Gohan was standing across the room in the doorway, eyes locked on his father rather than me. I tried sitting up and Goku easily pushed my shoulders down to keep me from doing so. His son stepped inside without looking away from his father and took a seat beside me on the bed. It was hard not to notice the body language between the two of them—Goku suddenly looked stiff and uncomfortable while Gohan gently touched my arm. I glanced between the two of them and sighed.

"Look, if you're mad because I slept with Goku, don't be," I said.

My statement made Gohan actually growl a bit, but he seemed to remember his place and stopped. Goku stared at me in shock for a moment before he burst into laughter, actually doubling over from the sheer force of his giggles. My cheeks got hot and I pulled up the sheets with my newly released hands, hoping I could disappear underneath them. I didn't know anything about this weird family and I was already causing problems between them.

"Is this true?" Gohan asked coldly. "You know you were supposed to wait."

"No, she's just half-asleep," Goku said, finally starting calm down. He wiped tears from his eyes and chuckled a bit as the remnants of his laughing fit left him. "You know me, I hate clothes so I like being as naked as possible. She must have put things together the wrong way. Sorry about that."

"Well… good." Gohan lightened up a little now that his father was no longer pinning me to the bed. "We're at dad's house, Videl. He brought both of us here last night. But don't worry, you didn't do anything stupid and neither did I. If you want, we can go flying later and I can show you some caves I traveled through as a kid. Oh, and my mentor Piccolo is here!"

Goku shook his head quickly and Gohan immediately backtracked, saying Piccolo wasn't feeling well and probably couldn't come out to see us. I was too exhausted to be suspicious and I was definitely in the mood to fly around a bit. But as I struggled to remember how exactly flying worked, certain pieces of the memory were completely blank. It wasn't that I had difficulty fully putting the story together. Parts of the event were actually scrubbed out of my mind, like an eraser had carefully cleaned it out.

I made a mental note to never drink again as Goku offered me a cup of water. Gohan talked a bit more about the night before and promised to pick me up later so we could do all the things he had suggested. After he left, I felt kind of relieved. It wasn't that he was bad company, but I didn't think I was up to spelunking through caves for the entire day. My father was probably worried sick and I had to make sure he knew I was okay before anything else weird happened.

"Do you have a phone I can use?" I asked.

"Phone? Nope. Who do you need to talk to? I can go there myself so you can relax."

"It's my dad so I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Mr. Satan? Oh, we already talked to him!" Goku patted my leg and left his hand lying on my thigh. "He said he understands what happened and he isn't mad at you. Don't worry about it. Just relax and try to recuperate for the day, okay? You had a rough night."

That didn't seem like my father. He was always overreacting, freaking out over minor things. If I was home more than ten minutes late, I'd get an earful until I apologized. The second Goku told him I was hanging around a bunch of men the night before my father should have gone ballistic. Between the gaps in my memory and the way Goku and his son were acting, I wasn't sure if they were even telling the truth. I set my cup on the nightstand and sat up in bed under Goku's watchful eye.

"It's so weird," I said, "but I feel like I should be afraid of you." I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my aching head. "But all I can remember is positive things, like all of us going on a picnic and swimming for the afternoon. And when you taught me how to fly. Do I have amnesia?"

"Maybe," Goku said quickly. "Do you remember anything else about when Gohan—I mean—I taught you how to fly?"

"A cave with some pretty crystals in it, but that's about it. Why?"

"Just curious. You and I get along pretty well, huh?"

Something didn't feel right. Regardless, I smiled at Goku and nodded to put him at ease. I could ask questions later instead of jumping into it immediately after waking up. He crept beside me in bed and sat facing me with a huge, happy grin on his face. We chatted for a little while about the events of the past few days to refresh my memory and by the time we were finished, I was feeling much better. But a little piece of me still held onto the notion that the Son family was lying to me.

The day was starting to ebb away so Goku left me in the room to change into the clothes Bulma had left behind for me. Getting out of bed was a difficult task, but I managed to get to my feet and put on the plain jeans-and-a-tee combo. Apparently it was a casual party. I called Goku back in when I was ready and was surprised to see him in black pants and a matching black shirt. Normally he wore the orange training outfit wherever he went. He had tried to brush his hair but it didn't work out.

"See? I can look nice," Goku said, gesturing at his clothes.

"You look great. So what is this party for? Just because?"

"It's a… celebration." He smirked slightly as the word left his mouth. "We're all really happy to have you as our friend, and we wanted to introduce you to everyone."

Everyone? I had yet to meet a few people, but I thought I'd been acquainted with most of the group. "Well thanks. For not knowing me for very long, you guys are really friendly. I don't think I've ever seen a happier family before. You're all very close."

Goku's smirk grew and he nodded in agreement. As he led me out of the bedroom, my eyes fell upon a huge lock on the door. It was another thing I had missed—

My eyes widened.

_That's the lock that keeps Goku trapped inside under the full moon when he goes insane because he has the blood of an extinct alien race called the Saiyans running through him and he knew I knew so he followed me home and attacked me in my bedroom and wouldn't let Gohan come because Gohan has come of age and now he's becoming a rampaging monster, too, and Gohan and I were kissing and Vegeta appeared to interrupt us because aren't supposed to be together because he's only half-Saiyan and they want me to become a full Saiyan so Goku and I can have kids and restart their race—_

"Videl? Are you feeling okay?"

No. I was not okay.

Through the roar of blood in my ears, I managed to nod and keep acting stupid. They had wiped out my memory but everything came back in one big rush because they didn't quite do it right. Oh Kami, what was I going to do? Ignorance was bliss and I couldn't play that card anymore. But it was my only hope if I didn't want some 'Kai' picking around in my brains, trying to make me an obedient zombie. Goku gently touched the small of my back, flooding my mind with my memories.

_Goku brought me here Friday night and lied about not being able to bring me home because he wanted to mark me but he's a gentle guy, Kami bless him, and he couldn't do it so he just slept beside me and Bulma came over in the morning and they were talking and I heard them saying they wanted me to become a Saiyan and I panicked and tried to run away and I offered Goku the chance to bite my neck and he refused; he wanted it to 'mean something' and he knocked me out and now I'm—_

"You look kinda pale," Goku said. "Maybe we should skip the party."

"No," I said, "it's fine. I'm great. I can't wait to meet everyone else. You're such a nice family!"

It was a goddamn lie. They were not _nice. _Goku pinned me down by my neck for Kami's sake. He and his son both wanted to gnaw on my neck. Bulma was a mad scientist intent on rewriting my very DNA. Chi-Chi acted like everything was perfect in her little world while her youngest son ran amok with his father. They were all abnormal and I had let myself be lured into their group. If I let my emotions get the best of me I would have my memory wiped even further.

Goku watched me walk down the stairs to make sure I wasn't lying about feeling fine and we left his tiny house. He took my hand, interlacing our fingers, and placed his fingertips to his forehead. The serene view disappeared. It was time to start acting.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**super saiyan 4 chichi- **Bulma's the craziest one!

**TFSrules-** Yes, in this Goku is a little bit of everything. He's constantly torn between what's right and what he wants. Poor guy.


	11. Coveted

**A/N:** Alright guys, I've got a question for you. It's hard for me to discern because I kind of write chapters and they poof out of my head, but does the progression of Videl and Goku's relationship make some sense? Any suggestions? Slower, faster, or good pace? I know they need more emotional investments in each other, which has so far only been their long talks at night, but otherwise, how's it lookin'?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**11: Coveted**

Capsule Corp was a well-known business throughout the world, not just our city. Dr. Briefs had invented groundbreaking technology—the ability to stuff something very big in a tiny capsule that could easily be transported and used whenever necessary. It had revolutionized travel, making it much easier for people to bring big things wherever they wanted without the hassle. The result was more people relocating when the place they lived became too mundane. No one stayed in the same place for very long anymore because capsules made it so easy to up and leave.

Still, I had never visited the headquarters and actually seen the gigantic building. It was impressive. My house in the city was bigger but that was to be expected. Plus, Dr. Briefs focused more on investing in technology than materialistic things like my father did. My thoughts drifted to dad and I wondered how Goku had gotten him to cooperate with me being away from home for so long. If I knew Goku as well as I thought I did, it probably involved the same intimidation he used on me.

Bulma Briefs emerged from her half-circle home and opened her arms wide as an invitation. "Hello! You must be Videl. I've heard so much about you!"

It was excruciating to act like I had never seen her before, but I managed. When the time was right, I would thoroughly enjoy telling her exactly what I knew about her crazy schemes. Vegeta stood behind her in the doorway with his eyes focused intently on me, which I tried to ignore. Out of the all the people I had met so far he was definitely the most cunning and intelligent. It wouldn't be hard for him to figure out I had gotten my memories back. Avoiding him was the best way to keep that from happening.

We were escorted inside to the massive living room. Various plants were in pots near the sides of the room and a huge painting of the sunset over of the ocean was above the TV. Gohan was sitting on the huge leather couch in front of the TV throwing pieces of popcorn for Goten to catch in his mouth. When the door shut, they turned and immediately started smiling upon seeing me. It was eerie. I didn't know how I hadn't seen it before. Trunks popped up from his coloring book on the floor and glanced at his father. The intelligence must have been a family trait introduced by Vegeta.

"Everyone else will be arriving shortly," Bulma said. "I have to go upstairs to check on Bulla and I can start setting out the hors d'oeuvres afterwards. You can just get comfortable on the couch or one of the chairs if you'd like, Videl."

"Where's Chi-Chi?" I asked.

"Not feeling well," Bulma said.

Goku and Gohan both looked down at the floor.

We sat on another big leather couch close to the other and I finally got Goku to release my hand. Vegeta sat on the opposite side of me with his arms folded and eyes closed. It was awkward having so many aliens sitting near me. I did my best to look friendly instead of suspicious; maybe they would think the Kai had wiped out my… tenacious nature. Gohan gave his brother the bag of popcorn and stretched out of the couch, completely at ease. How could they be so comfortable with manipulating me?

"Feeling better?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, much," I said. What a lie. I was getting better with time, though.

"She was tossing and turning a lot last night," Goku said, giving his son a chilly look. "It was hard to keep her from falling off the bed! I had to make sure I kept her pinned down."

Vegeta snickered. Gohan's face reddened and he ducked behind the arm of the couch, no longer interested in chatting. I felt kind of bad for him. He was a nice kid and was genuinely interested in me but the selfish ambitions of his family came first. We probably would have gotten along really well if the people who were supposed to love him didn't deliberately interfere. Chi-Chi seemed to like us together. Maybe that was why she had been "sick." An uncomfortable coldness traveled down my spine.

There was a knock on the door and Goku rose to answer it. I played with the hem of my t-shirt and sat in silence with Vegeta, who was still smirking from Goku's comments. When I moved to get up, one of his eyes slid open and he suddenly grabbed a fistful of my hair. He yanked back so I was sitting stiffly on the couch and leaned over to whisper in my ear, his lips barely touching my skin. It was even more terrifying than the night Goku came into my bedroom. It was easy to tell that Vegeta was cruel to the core.

"You're lucky these people are a bunch of fools," he whispered. "Personally, I find you to be a waste of flesh and an equal waste of my wife's tireless work, but there is no one else. So be a good woman and do what they want or you'll have to deal with me. I hope we understand each other."

"I'm not afraid of you," I hissed.

"I've decimated entire races. One more human woman will mean nothing to me."

A new group of people walked in the living room and Vegeta disentangled his fingers from my hair, resuming his stoic position. I was right; Vegeta knew I retained my memories. I rose to my feet and massaged the back of my head as a really short bald man walked forward to shake my hand. He had six dots tattooed on his forehead which must have meant he was a monk.

"I'm Krillin!" he said. "This is my wife. You can just call her 18."

Behind him stood a gorgeous woman who was roughly my height with short blonde hair. She didn't say anything or offer to shake my hand, but nodded slightly.

"I'm Yamcha," said another tall, bulky guy.

We talked for a little while until Bulma brought out the food, which quickly attracted everyone's attention. It was awkward being one of the only three women at the gathering. Chi-Chi was misguided but nice and I desperately wanted someone to talk to. Everyone sat down with their food and the conversations started, drowning out the previously uncomfortable atmosphere. I picked at my plate while Goku and Vegeta discussed sparring after the party. What did they have planned for me?

I excused myself to the bathroom half an hour later and made my escape upstairs, where the hubbub of the party could no longer be heard. I sighed with relief as I walked down the carpeted hallway to the big door Goku had told me was the bathroom. Once inside, I locked it and slumped against the wall. There was no way to leave. Goku would be watching me very closely and apparently Vegeta had taken on that responsibility as well. Would it be better for me to come out and agree to it immediately? I'd become more powerful and nearly immortal, but I'd lose my humanity.

A quick splash of water on my face made me feel a bit better. I fixed my hair in the mirror and dried my skin before heading out, where I was met by a patiently waiting Trunks. He had his hands clasped behind his back and he was smiling broadly, illuminated only by the moonlight pouring in a window. I turned off the bathroom light and ruffled his hair, then headed back towards the stairs.

"Dad says you're gonna give me a baby brother."

I stopped dead. Turned.

Trunks was rocking back on forth on his heels excitedly. "Mom had a girl and he wants two boys, just like Mr. Son. He's gonna wait until you're one of us and get you first. But don't worry, he says Goku can have you after. As long as you have a boy like me or Goten."

"Tell your father I'm not a breeding machine," I said.

"He knew you'd say that. So he told me to say that you're…" Trunks paused and scrunched up his nose. "Worthless human trash and he won't hesitate to snuff you out like an old cigarette. Nice talking to you, Miss Videl!"

The little boy waved and entered a room to the right, which I guessed was his bedroom. I stood in shock for a few minutes before walking back downstairs, feeling even more vulnerable than before. Why couldn't they find some other girl to transform? I couldn't be the only mildly powerful female fighter in the world. Damn my curiosity! If I hadn't demanded Gohan teach me how to fly, I never would have gotten myself into any of the insanity I was now stuck with.

Downstairs, the party was in full swing. I looked for Vegeta but he was nowhere to be seen—he would rather employ his son for his intimidation tactics. Goku popped up beside me and remained by my side until I got an idea. I beckoned for him to follow me back upstairs, where I pulled him into the bathroom and locked the door like before. To my surprise, he actually seemed nervous. Normally he acted confident when we were alone or he was touching me but he was wringing his hands.

I tried my best to look disgruntled and afraid. "So Vegeta's kid just said that his father wants me to have a son with him? Do you know what that could be about? Not right now, he wants to wait until I "transform." Is there something you're not telling me? I thought we were friends."

It hadn't been my intention, but I reached out to touch Goku's forearm. As soon as it happened I tried to retract my arm but he seized my wrist and stared me in the eyes. It wasn't really in my blood to be manipulative and I didn't want to play with anyone's emotions, especially romantic ones. My heart started beating faster when he took my other wrist in the opposite hand. Kami, he was trying to trick me but I couldn't help feeling attracted to him.

"Vegeta is my friend," Goku said, "but that doesn't change the fact that he's kind of unstable. Stay away from him. I'll talk to him later about this. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"That still doesn't answer my question," I said. It was hard to breathe.

"He's old fashioned. It probably means he wants to wait until you're out of high school. You can just go back downstairs and relax while I go find Vegeta, okay?"

I nodded stiffly and Goku's eyes fell upon my lips. There was a deep rumble in his chest and he pushed me against the wall, knocking over some glass cups on a shelf by the sink. His hands wandered up my body to my face; he pushed back my hair and tilted my chin upwards. I could feel his hot breath coming closer and he smelled like pine trees—

And he suddenly released me.

Goku backed away, gripping his head, and carefully moved me away from the door. It was hard to see in the dark, but I thought his eyes were tearing up a bit. I grabbed his arm and gave him an inquiring look, wondering why he hadn't kissed me when everything was so perfect.

"It isn't right to take advantage of someone who is in the dark," Goku said quietly.

Before he left, he kissed my forehead.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**TFSrules**- Why thank you! :D If you guys didn't review I'd have no motivation to!

**super saiyan 4 chichi**- Yeah her not having her memory would make the story go on forever, unfortunately. But it makes it interesting when she has something over them.

**Cottoncandy101-** I'm on a Katy Perry kick, heehee

**Kanosina**- Me too! Too bad Goku's a good guy...


	12. Heartstrings

**A/N:** Short and kinda boring but necessary. I can't reply to reviews right now but thanks so much for your responses! I'm trying to speed things up but this is honestly shaping up to be a 40+ chapter story no matter what I do.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**12: Heartstrings**

Gohan brought me home later on that evening. Both Vegeta and Goku were absent for the rest of the party so Bulma grudgingly suggested that he escort me back to my house. I was surprised they were willing to let me go of my own accord. Dad might have not been pushed around as much as I thought. We gathered our things, including a tray of desserts Bulma set aside for me, and bade farewell to everyone before heading out. The night was cool; a perfect autumn evening. Even better: the moon wouldn't be full for nearly another month.

We walked instead of flying. Gohan kept his hands in his pockets and was strangely calm, occasionally closing his eyes to enjoy a nice breeze. I considered dropping the desserts a few times but Bulma would find them and be awfully pissed off that I ditched her gift. Leaves crunched beneath our feet as we walked in a comfortable silence toward the glowing city where my warm bed was waiting. I'd have to invest in some of those industrial locks Goku had to keep them all away from me at night.

An idea hit me as I lazily ran over the events from the night. They all claimed Chi-Chi was sick. It was half-hearted and both Goku and Gohan didn't look happy during the conversation. If I was careful, I could fly over to her house and see if there was any truth to their statements. Gohan was helping Bulma clean up after I was home safe so it wouldn't be too hard. They might know I had regained my memories, though. If I was clueless I should have no reason to check up on her. Was it worth the risk or would it be better to take them for their word?

"I'm all set," I said, stopping suddenly. "I can walk back from here, it isn't too far. I know Bulma wanted you to help her clean up so I don't want to keep you for too long."

"It's okay; she'd rather know you're home in bed."

"I don't need a babysitter." It was really starting to annoy me that they all wanted to constantly keep an eye on my whereabouts. "Seriously, go home and let me walk by myself. I'll tell my father and he won't be too happy. He _did _defeat Cell, you know. Some teenager would be an easy pummeling."

Perfect. Goku had enlightened me on Cell's demise but it only helped ad to my charade. Gohan looked like he wanted to say something but shrank back and shrugged. I stood with my hands on my hips until he finally turned and flew off in the opposite direction, going towards Bulma's house. When he disappeared and I was alone for a few minutes, I aimed my energy downward and floated awkwardly into the sky before getting my balance and flying towards Mt. Paozu.

The trip only took five minutes. I landed outside the house and knocked to see if she answered the door. Nothing happened, so I quietly pushed it open and slipped inside. When I shut the door behind myself and flipped on the living room light, I saw Chi-Chi lying on the couch with a compress on her head.

"Chi-Chi?" I asked.

She raised her head and turned to look at me. Her eyes were unfocused and confused, like she couldn't recognize me. She squinted. "Videl? What are you doing here?"

"They said you were too sick to come to the party."

"I guess I'm a little under the weather." Chi-Chi pulled herself up so she was sitting and panted heavily. "The truth is, I didn't want to see them make you a Saiyan. It was bad enough when they tried to do it to me. You're a nice girl and you get along so well with Gohan, but I think you should stay away from here."

"Wait, they tried it on you?"

"Yes. It didn't work the right way. All I got were the negative traits: short temper, aggression, and a metabolism that's too fast for my human body to keep up with. They think wishing on the Dragon Balls can solve everything, but it won't. You'll be just like me and they'll have to keep you hidden away from the rest of the world. No one can know about Bulma's experiments."

My body was numb. Chi-Chi was a botched experiment. It made her life a living hell and they all ignored her as a result. Bulma didn't try counteracting the transformation and making her friend's life a bit more comfortable. Everyone was single-minded. They wanted a Saiyan female and they wanted her soon. That meant I would probably wind up on the table sooner than I had imagined.

"Why do you sound so calm about this?" I asked.

Chi-Chi put the compress on her forehead and leaned her neck back. "There's no point in getting angry anymore. I've been mildly aggressive my entire life—I'm a fighter. But it got so much worse. That's why I'm telling you to stop hanging around Gohan. You can escape if you leave now and don't return."

"It's hard to scare me. I'm more concerned about your son than anything else."

"Gohan? Oh, he's fine. I knew it would be hard for him to make friends and so did he. It would probably be better to keep him out of school."

"He's going to start opening up soon. If he's going to ever be happy in life, he needs to integrate with other people. Holing him up at the base of a mountain in the middle of nowhere will just make him even shier. I know it's a risk because of the full moon but he can hide during that."

"You barely know us. Why do you care?"

It was a simple question that I had no answer for. Why _did _I care?

Someone started pounding on the door and Chi-Chi rose off the couch to lead me upstairs. She opened her closet and leaned down to pull up a latch, revealing a hole in the floor. When I looked at her quizzically, she waved a hand dismissively.

"It was for Goku under the full moon when we were married. Now go, and don't come out until I come for you. Well, you can't because it doesn't open from the inside."

Chi-Chi helped me into the grotto just as the door downstairs burst open. Once I was inside, she placed a finger to her lips and shut it softly before leaving the closet, shutting the doors behind herself. Even from my little prison I could hear her press a lock into place to make sure no one went snooping inside.

There was nothing to speak of in the hole. A small cot was sitting in a corner and a toilet was in the opposite one—it was supposed to last Goku for a long time. Chi-Chi apparently kept the place clean because there wasn't a speck of dirt to be seen. I opened a big fridge to see if she kept it stocked but other than a bottle of water, it was empty. All I had left to do was worry about who had broken in to the house and whether or not Chi-Chi was okay.

The talking upstairs was hushed so I couldn't discern anything from their chat. It couldn't have been Vegeta. He would have already figured out where I was and dragged me out by the hair. That left either Goku or Gohan, neither of whom were a much better option. The wait was killing me. If they knew I was at her house and wanted me to leave, why didn't they drag me out now?

A few more minutes passed and the other person left, leaving Chi-Chi alone in her room. She opened up the hole shortly and helped me out, effortlessly lifting me like I weighed nothing. After she closed the grotto and locked the closet again, she put her two bony hands on my shoulders, tearing up a bit. It was awful to see such a well-meaning woman so upset. I felt terrible, like it was my fault.

"Fly home," Chi-Chi said. "Go to school and don't come back. For me."

It wasn't really a request anymore. I nodded and we embraced briefly before I left. As I walked away from the house, I turned to see Chi-Chi sitting by her window, sobbing into her hands.


	13. In The End

**A/N:** This is a looong chapter. It cuts off at the end deliberately, but don't worry, you'll see some flashbacks.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**13: In The End**

_You're an idiot, Videl._

Halfway home, I made the decision to turn around and visit Goku. It might have been because I was going insane, or maybe I had become comfortable with my fate. It was also difficult to ignore my gradually growing feelings for him, shallow as they may be. He seemed like a nice man, not a violent, manipulative psychopath. That was a title better suited for Vegeta. So I stupidly flew back towards Goku's small house, passing over Chi-Chi's on the way. Gohan could have seen me.

The lights were off when I landed outside. I knocked a few times to see if he was home and walked in when there was no response. None of them liked locks very much. It was pitch black in the living room and Goku had done nothing to clean up. My hands fumbled blindly for a light switch until I found one a foot or two from the door that weakly illuminated the tiny space. There was still a pterodactyl egg sitting in the kitchen but the top was missing—it had probably hatched and flown off.

I stepped over a collection of rocks on my way to the stairs and grimaced. He seriously needed to clean his house. There were so many random things scattered around that I didn't know how he survived walking around the place. When I stepped upstairs and crushed a pinecone under my foot, I realized it would be easier for him to just build a separate house. It looked like Goku had built the house on his own. Some things were hastily put together and it didn't have any insulation to speak of.

The floorboards creaked beneath my feet as I entered Goku's bedroom, where the mess hadn't quite accumulated yet. He had made his bed and pushed the dirty training clothes to the side of the room. The Dragon Balls were nowhere to be seen; they were most likely moved after my memory was wiped out. I sat on the bed and drummed my fingers on my knees for a bit before snooping through his nightstand, curious to see if there was anything interesting. There were a few carvings made from wood that resembled different animals. Toward the bottom, I found a faded black notebook.

My hesitation only lasted a minute. Goku had lied to me several times, tricked me, broken into my house, and tried to erase my memory. Reading his diary was the first evil I had committed against him and it would make us kind of even. I took it out and shut the drawer before opening it up, immediately confronted with his horrendous handwriting. The pages were frayed and yellowing. He must have been writing in the thing for years despite his inability to write. It was kind of sad.

The first few entries were nothing interesting. It began when he was a teenager and Chi-Chi reminded him he had promised to marry her when they were kids. I flipped through the pages, trying to find something more recent. He didn't write in it very often despite how old it was; luckily his writing improved the older he got. Soon I stumbled upon one from a week ago, just before I met Gohan. It was hard to see but the moon was bright and gave me just enough reading light.

_September 25__th__- Gohan is starting school soon. I hope he does okay. Chichi wants him to go to college. Me and Goten went fishing for most of the day. Sometimes I'm really lonely. It would be nice if someone else besides Vegeta could talk to me. Everyone is always busy._

It tugged on my heartstrings a bit but I tried not to feel too bad. Loneliness was no reason to harass someone. So I moved on to the next entry, tagged as the day I first came home with Gohan and met his family. I read on, hoping it encompassed that night, when Goku had come in my bedroom.

_September 28__th__- Gohan brought a really nice girl to dinner. It looks like she'd be good for what Bulma is planning but I feel bad. It's not really fair. But it would be nice to have company. I said a few things I shouldn't have and Gohan got mad at me. Bulma says we should do it "quietly" and she wants me to take her out of her bedroom tonight and keep her. I don't know if I can. It seems mean. But Bulma says it's for my own good and she should be happy about it._

Frowning, I turned the page. The next entry was hastily scribbled and covered in little water droplets—tears? The ink was blurred and difficult to read. It was the night of the full moon.

_Moon night- I hate myself. I hate what I am. If I wasn't immortal I'd let Vegeta kill me. What I am is a horrible plague and it shouldn't happen to anyone. Bulma took my locks. I have to go to Her house and make sure Gohan doesn't go. It's so hard… I don't know what to do… I don't want to be mean. She seems like a really nice girl. I want to take her. But I shouldn't. But it would be better for me to do it than Gohan. He might snap her neck and I know how to do it right. I practice. When I do sex with women I practice so when I do it I won't mess up. Sometimes I accidentally break them._

_September 29__th__- I did it. I didn't bite anyone and I didn't hurt Her. I'm happy. She's really nice. But I think I was a little mean. I'm trying. It's hard to be nice and mean at the same time. Gohan's first night was ok. He smashed some cars and stuff. Vegeta had a whole pile of bodies Bulma had to get rid of._

_September 30__th__- I can't do it. She's too nice. But I want her so bad it hurts. She's so pretty and strong. Now she knows everything and Bulma wants the Kai to erase her memory. I don't want to. Bulma always wants me to be mean. She wants another Saiyan so Vegeta can be a prince again and a new planet for us can be made. But I don't know. I don't want to make anyone have babies with me. Vegeta is trying to tell me to but it's wrong. I like Her but… I'm confused. Why do I always hurt?_

That was the last entry. I stared at the final line for a few minutes, trying to think of a rational explanation for the journal and its contents. Goku was a simple person with a simple mind. Bulma was manipulating him, undoubtedly under the influence of her husband, and poor Goku had no idea how to feel anymore. Every other word was denial—"I don't" or "I won't" or "I can't." The entire ordeal was tearing him to pieces and it didn't bother Bulma or Vegeta. No one was single-minded besides them.

Fortunately, that gave me something over them. Like it or not, Goku's innocence and gentle heart gave me a way to keep him from forcing me to do anything. Some tears and sobs could probably reduce him to wringing his hands like he had in the bathroom the night before. It was the only way I could protect myself from Bulma and her husband. They had a stranglehold on Goku despite his immense strength for reasons I didn't know. Probably because he was a loyal friend and wanted to make them happy. But he needed to learn to discern between helping a friend and being ignorant.

The door opened downstairs and I quickly hid the diary back in the nightstand. Goku didn't have to know I looked at it; now I knew how to behave around him. I fixed my hair and drew my legs up Indian style as heavy footsteps came up the stairs. He was terrible at reading people. If I relaxed and let him do most of the talking, he would never know I had seen his innermost thoughts. The bedroom door creaked open and my heart started beating faster in anticipation.

Goku was covered in blood. His black clothes were torn in a million different places and he had a black eye that was leaking some kind of clear fluid. I was afraid to move. What if he was still on edge and attacked me next? He yanked off his shirt to wipe his face and threw it on the floor, then kicked off his shoes. When he raised his head to move to the dresser, he popped a bean of some kind in his mouth and finally noticed me sitting on his bed. Only the crunch of the bean broke the silence.

"Uh... hi," I said with an awkward wave. "You didn't come back to the party so I figured I'd come here to see if you were okay. Guess I was a little late though, right?"

No response. Goku stared at me for a few moments before muttering something about a shower. He grabbed some more orange clothes out of his dresser and left, shutting the door behind him. I was honestly kind of upset until I heard him lock it. It was creepy, but he was making sure I didn't leave. So I settled back against the wall and examined my fingernails while he washed up. My hands were actually shaking mildly. I hadn't been so nervous in a long time.

Eventually, Goku returned with wet hair and no wounds left on his face. He unlocked the door and shut it behind himself before joining me on the bed, sitting politely in front of me with his hands clasped in his lap. It hit me that I had no reason to be in his house. I must have looked desperate, suspicious or an unfortunate combination of both. Goku waited a bit longer before he initiated a conversation.

"You must be wondering how I look fine after all the blood," he said. "It was… make up?"

"Or that bean you ate has healing properties," I said.

"That too…"

I stuck my hands under my thighs so I wouldn't accidentally touch Goku again and start something neither of us was prepared for. Human or not, Saiyans could still get human women pregnant and I didn't want to be worried about watching some kid—

Heat flushed in my abdomen and I scowled to myself. What the hell was my problem? I wasn't sleeping with anyone, much less some guy who lived in the wilderness. We had just met. Besides, he was immature and manipulative and kind of a jerk sometimes. Most of it was under the influence of another person but he still did it. And he may or may not have killed some women in the heat of the moment. Thinking of Goku in that state just made everything worse for me. I tried to hide my face.

"Is… is it okay if I talk to you about something?" Goku asked.

"Yeah sure."

It was strange seeing a big, strong man so flustered. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I know you don't really know this because you can't remember, but I think we're both kind of attracted to each other… right?" Goku paused and looked at me hopefully.

I could have crushed him in an instant. "I guess so."

"Not a lot or anything," he said quickly, "but a little. I want to know you better. For me to do that, I have to tell you some things you might not believe. It's just aliens and full moons and stuff. You used to know about all of it until we made you forget."

"Is this some kind of trap?" I asked.

"Well, no. Bulma would be awful sore with me if she knew I was refreshing your memory. You're a nice girl and I want to make sure we're on the same page before I try to pursue anything with you. It isn't right to lie to someone and build something on misunderstandings."

Wait. He was going to tell me the truth? Why?

Goku rubbed the back of his head when I didn't say anything. "Chi-Chi and I talked earlier and I realized I don't want to make you do something that will change your life. I can protect you until Bulma and Vegeta calm down. You can still go to school if you want, or live out here with me. Or Gohan and Chi-Chi. We're not married or anything. I just want to free you from the burden."

"If you're trying to convince me to abandon my family so you can trap me in your bedroom, you need to pick a different ruse."

"I know you don't trust me and I understand that. The thought has crossed my mind a few times and I do really want you…" Goku's eyes flickered to my neck and he twiddled his thumbs. "But I like you and I'm trying to respect your humanity. I wish I was a human."

"This isn't a guarantee I'm going to let you do anything to my neck."

"That's fine. The guilt is killing me. Can I tell you now?"

It sounded too good to be true. If Goku wasn't lying, which I suspected he was, it would mean Bulma couldn't lay a finger on me unless he allowed her. She was a master manipulator and Vegeta was even better, so I didn't know how long Goku would truly remain on my side. It also meant I could get to know Goku without worrying about being transformed into a violent space pirate, but what were the chances we would make a relationship work? He was immortal and twice my age. Did we have enough in common? I didn't know very much about him.

I sighed and one of my hands nearly freed itself. "My memories came back the same day they were erased. I saw one of the locks on your door."

"Oh… well that explains a lot."

"Yeah. I wanted to keep it a secret so I kinda had it over you guys."

Goku smiled and reached forward to hold my face between his huge hands. "So is it okay if I kiss you?"

Inside I was screaming in excitement but I managed to turn it into a small nod. Goku pushed my hair back and told me to close my eyes. I waited breathlessly as he came closer; the scent of pine needles made me squirm and pin my hands even further. At the last second, he tugged my face forward and kissed me hard on the lips. I couldn't keep my hands to myself; I yanked them free and grabbed Goku's biceps as he pried open my mouth with his tongue. My head was whirling.

One of Goku's hands wound around my head to grab my neck roughly. I grimaced but tried to ignore it until his other hand tangled in my hair and he pulled back to expose my throat. Goku grinned, revealing his teeth. They were all long and sharp, like a murderous dog. Screaming was the last thing on my mind—I needed to get away. Fast.

"It'll be easier to keep an eye on you if you're mine," he said. "Stay very still. I don't want to slip and sever your spine."

"I'll never forgive you," I hissed.

"Yes you will."

Goku pinned me down by the back of my neck and lay on top of me so I couldn't move. He pulled my hair to the side, licked the top of my spine, and grazed his teeth over my skin. I struggled desperately until I felt him hook his sharp fangs on either side of my neck. He growled.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**Kanosina-** I butchered Chi-Chi in my last story so I wanted to make it up to her. :D

**super saiyan 4 chichi-** Oh my gosh, I'm glad you liked it so much! I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it but I'm glad I did. Bulma just kinda ended up being evil but I like how it worked out. And of course Vegeta's evil heehee.

**TFSrules-** Why thank you! Somebody's gotta be evil.

**Cottoncandy101-** I know!


	14. Born Again

**A/N:** This one's short again but I love it. Goku is starting to remind me of Lenny from "Of Mice and Men."

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**14: Born Again**

I woke up screaming.

Hot, gnawing pain traveled straight down the entirety of my spine, spreading out in tendrils throughout the rest of my body. I'd been in pain before. Sometimes I misstepped and took a bullet to the shoulder or broke a bone, but none of that compared to the agony I was in at that moment. My arms and legs were bound and tied to the posters of the bed to keep me from freeing myself as I writhed and shrieked. I prayed for death. Vegeta could come kill me if he wanted to.

My eyes rolled back in my head as I once again balanced precariously on the brink of unconsciousness. Goku left my lying on my stomach and cold air tortured the gory wound on the back of my neck. I knew it was still leaking blood. Whenever I moved, a trail of crimson ran through my hair and across my face. My left cheek was numb, resting in a puddle of my own fluids. The ropes holding me in place burned me severely whenever I had a panicked fit and tried to free myself, but I couldn't stop.

Goku had done exactly what he promised not to do. I couldn't say I was surprised. It still hurt my pride to know I had put my faith in someone who could so easily stab me in the back. Yet I couldn't summon up the appropriate level of anger I should've felt—no matter how hard I tried, I only felt mildly irritated. Mainly, I was angry with myself for going to his house alone. Goku was a good person at his core. It was the people around him that were a negative influence. Bulma must have known him for a long time and figured out exactly how he could be manipulated.

Through the pounding in my ears I heard the door open. It shut shortly after and big fingers moved my hair to check on the bite. I hissed and turned to snap at them like a snake. It was Goku. I could tell by how clumsy he was in such a delicate area. He made a nervous sound and poked around a bit more, clearly unhappy with how he had torn apart my neck. My mind was angry but my heart wasn't.

_Sharp fangs ripped through my skin; the pain was so intense it nearly blinded me. A scream sort of ripped out of my throat like it was being dragged from the bottom of my gut. Goku bit down and held on for a while but decided it wasn't working how he wanted it to and started gnawing on me. He covered my mouth with one hand when I refused to be quiet and used the other to hold my shoulder in place. The biting moved on to the junction between my neck and shoulder—I thought I felt something snap._

"This isn't right," Goku said. "Why is there so much blood?"

_I must have lost a gallon of blood. It was everywhere. It poured down my face, over my arms and drenched Goku's fingers. He didn't mind, though. He licked his hands clean every now and then before returning to tearing me apart. There was nothing remotely sexual about it. I felt like an antelope caught by a particularly sadistic lion. There was no escape from my hell. _

A chair squealed on the floor as Goku pulled it up to sit at my bedside.

"_I want you," he whispered into my ear._

"_Burn in hell."_

"_We're already there."_

My eyes opened to see Goku shaking a thermometer with a slight frown. He flicked it a few times with his fingertips and opened his mouth, a signal for me to do the same. I kept my mouth firmly clamped shut and stared at him with as much disappointment as was possible. It would be easier if I played the sympathy card instead of getting angry and yelling at him. He gently pressed the back of his hand to my forehead, furrowing his brow as he waited for my temperature.

"I need medical attention," I rasped.

"Don't be silly. Vegeta does this all the time. You're okay, just kind of bloody."

"There's an open wound on my neck. If I get an infection, I'll die."

"Relax, Videl. I'm telling you, this is a normal thing Saiyans do and none of our women ever died from it. As long as you lie here and stay calm, you'll be—

"I'm lying in a pool of my own FUCKING BLOOD!" I screamed. "I am NOT okay! I am NOT a Saiyan! I am a human woman and I intend to stay that way, so STOP. Bring me back home right now and maybe I won't tell the police. Or they'll let you off easy because you're obviously handicapped!"

Goku's smile disappeared. "But… you said you liked me."

"That doesn't mean you can rip me apart and tie me down to your bed!"

"You'll hurt your neck if you try to get up and move." Goku pressed a straw to my mouth and I instinctively started drinking. "It'll heal over in a few hours and then you can clean up and we can do whatever we want. When you move it breaks open the scabs."

"Give me one of those beans," I said.

"Nope, that's going to make the effects of the mark go away. You'll have to bear with me for a while."

"You said there was no effect; that it was just for show."

"I might have stretched the truth a bit."

My throat constricted and I worried I might add tears to the blood beneath my cheek. Why did Goku keep lying? More importantly, why did I keep giving him second chances? He scratched his head, looking at my neck in confusion, and placed the cup on the nightstand. What if Vegeta had been lying the entire time and there was no such thing as a "mark?" Goku clearly had no clue what he was doing and I'd probably end up getting an infection in my spine if I didn't convince him to let me go.

Goku leaned down to lick the biggest wound on the back of my neck, making me start screaming once again. He lapped up the blood running down my cheek without hesitation—he was enjoying it. Soon his mouth moved to the other wound and I felt his teeth scrape on my skin a few times. I worried a few times that he might bite me again but he stopped after a few minutes and leaned back, wiping my blood off his mouth. His teeth were still long, giving him a seriously creepy appearance.

"See? I can clean it up," Goku said. He was smiling broadly.

"What's going to happen to me?" I whispered.

"The same thing that happened to Bulma. You gain some of my characteristics and you're more attached to me. It's not anything weird. We can't read each other's thoughts or teleport. Well, I can teleport but that's not because of you."

"Is that why Bulma is psychotic?"

"Yes. Vegeta's evil grew on her." Goku looked sad for a moment but quickly brightened. "Anyway, I think it's safe for you to move now if you want to take a shower."

There was a tearing sound and my arms went slack, soon followed by my feet. The sensation didn't immediately return so Goku carefully turned me on my back and put me in a sitting position. I shakily reached back to touch my neck and drew my hand away to see blood coating my fingers. If I was still bleeding, I would need a transfusion sooner or later. Goku sat beside me happily and took my hand to lick off the blood; he closed his eyes and wrapped his mouth around my fingers. I was too woozy to protest so I laid back and waited until he was done.

My vision blurred. "How can you do that? Blood is disgusting."

"I've seen more blood than you can imagine. Green blood, blue blood, red blood; it's all the same. I'm de…desensitive…?"

"Desensitized."

"Yes, that." Goku reached over me to pick up a cloth off the nightstand, which he used to wipe the grime off my face. "It's a part of you and it helps make our bond stronger."

"It makes you look like a vampire."

"I guess you're right. But the Saiyans were a primitive race so it makes sense they'd do something gory and violent to claim a mate. It's too bad the method Earthlings use is so inconsequential." He smiled even more at the word he used, proud he didn't need help with it. "What does a piece of paper really mean? Nothing. At least this encourages growth and happiness. Marriage makes you miserable."

"Gaping wounds don't make me like you more."

Goku just kept smiling.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**TFSrules**- 40 chapters of evil Bulma!

**Cottoncandy101-** Poor Goku is a pushover. ):

**super saiyan 4 chichi**- Well thank you! I felt bad putting Chi-Chi on the backburner all the time. She's under a lot of pressure, between raising her sons and not having her husband around to help her. And Goku isn't really... uh... dependable. In this he and Shenron are already one but the Dragon Balls still scatter. So if someone uses them, Goku and Shenron show up. I was too lazy to include that, heehee.


	15. Dear Agony

**A/N**: If you haven't noticed, Vegeta and Bulma are my least favorite characters. :V But they make great villains!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**15: Dear Agony**

Finding the will to move was more difficult than I thought. Sure the bed was soaked in my own blood and my hair was caked in it, but I was so drained of energy that I worried I'd faint upon standing up. So I sat upright for a couple hours without budging, staring blankly at the poorly painted wall by the door to the bedroom. Goku eventually lifted me off the bed to peel off the dirty sheets and held me like a small child—proportionately, that was what it looked like. He was physically a bit bigger than Gohan and I had finally come to terms with my petite frame. They all made me look like a midget.

Goku gently set me down and sighed. "I'll have to get rid of the mattress, too. Bulma can probably get me a new one since that's something I can't make. There's a lot of blood, though… I wasn't really expecting that much. But that's the price we had to pay."

The wound had almost completely healed over. Unfortunately, it was taking my body a long time to replenish the incredible amount of blood I had lost in the process. I cracked the stiffness out of my neck and slowly drank another cupful of water Goku had set aside for me. He hadn't given me any solid food but I didn't have an appetite to speak of. It would be better to graduate to food when I was able to stand on my own two feet again. That could mean sitting around for the entire day.

I groaned when I remembered I had missed school and forsaken my duty to protect the city. The Son family had not only absorbed my entire weekend, they now held my life in their hands. Goku could easily wish on the Dragon Balls for me to become a Saiyan now. In fact, Bulma might do it herself. They weren't even at Goku's house anymore so I could try to steal one so the set wasn't complete. My fate really was resting in their hands but there was nothing I could do about it. I was a prisoner in my own exhausted, aching body.

After pushing all the dirty clothes and sheets in a corner of the room, Goku was finally pleased with his work and sat down beside me on the bed. He put his bulky arm around my shoulders and I hissed in pain when he touched the wound closer to my shoulder. There was a murmured apology and he lowered his biceps lower, which left his fingers near my breasts, so he huffed in frustration and lifted me into his lap. I was amazed by how slack I went when he picked me up. It was like I had lead in my fingers and toes.

Warmth rose in my stomach when Goku kissed the crown of my skull. It spread quickly, turning my cheeks hot in a matter of seconds. What the hell was he doing? Just yesterday he was afraid to touch me and now he was all over my like a drunk frat boy. Well, not completely. He still kept his hands to himself but he was fine with moving me around whenever the urge struck him. A heartbeat passed and he kissed my head again, maintaining in the contact for longer than was necessary. He inhaled deeply and his arms tightened around my waist, pushing us closer together.

"What happened to not taking advantage of people who are in the dark?" I asked.

"You admitted you weren't." Goku rested his chin on top of my head. "I'm trying to help you. I've been watching Vegeta and let's just say he didn't have innocent intentions. After what he said to you last night I knew I had to say something, so of course he turned it into a brawl. Gohan was having a hard time resisting and I was afraid he might cause a lot of damage if he tried marking you."

"How did you know you wouldn't kill me in the process?"

"I didn't."

My blank stare turned sour. "Oh, that's comforting. Maybe you, uh… practiced somehow? That would make it a lot easier when the opportunity presented itself."

"Whenever Korrin has some extra senzu beans I take them and find women to—"

"What's a Korrin and a senzu bean?"

"Korrin grows them on Kami's Lookout. But don't worry about any of that right now. You'll have plenty of time to learn about him. And now you can meet Piccolo, since you're in on our whole alien secret." One of Goku's hands moved up to play with my not-so-clean hair. It didn't bother him. "Anyway, I usually broke the women during sex so I'd give them a bean after and they'd be okay. Most of them, at least. Which is why I think it's better if you're a Saiyan if we're going to be together."

"This doesn't mean I'm looking for a long-term relationship. I'm eighteen. Besides, who says I even want to sleep with you? You practically killed me last night and you've lied to me a bunch of times. I'm not interested in rewriting my DNA so you can bang me without snapping my neck."

"It was usually the pelvis," Goku muttered.

It was good to know that Goku could potentially shatter my bones if we were to get too intimate. I'd only thought about it a few times and it never crossed my mind, but it made sense. He had immense, otherworldly strength he had to constantly keep in check and sex was all about losing control. Humans were a bit too fragile for Saiyan men. It was a miracle that Bulma and Chi-Chi were both still alive after having been married to their alien warriors for so long.

I yawned, trying to act like what Goku was saying didn't faze me at all. "You're still leaving me the choice to become a Saiyan, right? Because I'm still not entirely on board with all that."

"Yes, this was more of a precaution than anything else."

"You've gotta make sure no one else gets to the progenitor of your race before you do."

"Uh… yeah. Progenitor." He laughed a little. "This isn't illegal, is it?"

"Kidnapping is very much illegal and I'm sure you gnawing on my neck is also frowned upon. Don't worry, besides massive blood loss I'm a-okay and should make a full recovery. But there better not be any more surprises and I better not wake up one day as a Saiyan. Is part of this mark thing making it hard for me to be angry? I should be ranting and raving but instead I'm just sitting in your lap."

Goku started stroking my thigh. The heat grew more intense. "No, it's normal. It kind of binds us together so you'll be less… _inclined _to argue with me. Like I said, it's a much better alternative to marriage. You'll just feel closer to me. That's the only way to describe it."

"Whatever you say. We didn't… you know. Did we?"

"No, even though I really wanted to," Goku said. "Do you want to?"

"I was just asking." I shifted in his lap and felt a hard pressure on the small of my back. Apparently he thought I was doing more than that. "I'm really hesitant after you told me you could possibly shatter my pelvis, too. You could've kept that to yourself."

There was knocking on the door downstairs and Goku unwillingly got up to answer it. After he left the room it felt like a tremendous pressure was taken off my shoulders. But a weird longing settled in my heart and I almost risked climbing out of bed to see what was taking him so long. It was embarrassing. I picked lint off the shirt Goku had given me and tenderly touched the back of my neck. It tingled and the sensation connected with the other bite mark.

Goku returned a few minutes later with Gohan tagging along behind him. I felt kind of guilty seeing Gohan, but he didn't look upset. He sat down on the mattress, eyes flickering between the blood stains and my pathetic excuse for a smile. Goku scooped up the ruined sheets and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. My heart ached again when the sound of his feet on the stairs faded away and I wondered if that was another effect of the mark. The strong feelings seemed to be coming from nowhere I could pinpoint. Sure I had been attracted to Goku but…

"You look really pale," Gohan said. He was wearing his Great Saiyaman outfit but decided to leave the headgear off.

I shrugged. "I'm just lucky I'm not dead. When you called it "marking" I wasn't expecting to have my flesh torn apart. He didn't really know what he was doing."

"Yeah, they didn't want me interfering so I couldn't help you. I'm sorry for not telling you the truth. Bulma and Vegeta are terrifying, to be honest. And now that they have the Dragon Balls we're all kind of at their mercy, especially if they want to make you a Saiyan. But I'm sure they'll hold off for a while if dad tells them he's working on it. Bulma isn't really in a big rush."

"They can't know I kept my memories. We have to make sure they still think I'm clueless."

"It might be easier if you stay out of school for a while. Dad can keep you here so they think he's brainwashing you or something. As long as they think he's progressing towards what they want we shouldn't have any problems. But, Videl… you do know you'll have to make a choice, right? Vegeta is really impatient and any one of these days you might suddenly transform. I hope you're ready for that."

"I know," I said grimly. "I'm just trying to prolong it for as long as possible. Aren't you and your father really strong? Couldn't you take the Dragon Balls back?"

"We already scouted out the area a few times." Gohan ran a hand through his coarse black hair and shook his head. He looked exhausted. "She's hiding them somewhere. Goten probably knows but he's absolutely obsessed with you being his sister or mother or whatever it was. He isn't much help to us."

"Damn."

We sat in silence for a little while until I noticed Gohan peeking curiously around my neck. He shrank back when I looked at him but I simply rolled my eyes and moved my hair so he could see the damage. To my surprise, he grasped my arm to pull me closer so he could inhale at the site of the first bite, the one that caused me the most agony. When he pulled away his brows were furrowed in confusion. I felt kind of dirty—Goku's clothes didn't fit me very well.

"That's strange," Gohan muttered.

"Oh Kami, what now?"

"Nothing. I just thought the mark would smell like dad. But I'm sure he did it right; he's been over it a thousand times with Vegeta and I've personally heard the lecture more times than I can count. Still… that's a crucial part of the whole process…"

The bedroom door abruptly flew open, coming clean off the hinges before I could blink. Gohan was equally as fast and standing protectively in front of the bed as Vegeta stepped inside, casting disgusted glances around the room. Goku popped up beside him with a sheepish smile and collected the broken door off the floor to try piecing it back together. My arms turned to jelly when Vegeta's cold eyes fell upon me sitting on the stained bed, struggling to maintain my composure. He could see right through me. If he knew I still had my memories, it wouldn't be long before he turned me in to his wife.

Vegeta's permanent scowl deepened. "Kakarot, this house is filthy. How could you bring a woman here?"

"You know me, my motto is simplicity!" Goku said brightly.

"Pathetic. Why is this human sitting in her blood? Haven't you the sense to clean up after yourself?" Vegeta strode closer, shoving Gohan aside and grabbed me by the hair to push me face down on the bed. His fingers roughly moved my hair aside and he laughed. "Surely you can't be serious."

"Did I do it wrong?" Goku asked. He sounded timid, like he was trying to impress a teacher with work he thought should be impressive.

"No, but if you were trying to mark her, you'll need to wait." Vegeta released me and folded his arms. "Sinking your teeth into a human woman will bear no effect. Obviously a Saiyan mating ritual will only work on members of our own species. I only do it as a symbolic gesture to Bulma. I hope you weren't trying to take her before anyone else had a chance. That would be rude, Kakarot."

I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. If the mark didn't mean anything, why was I suddenly feeling such intense attachment to Goku? It had to be a case of Stockholm syndrome. He'd kidnapped me and attacked me against my will and now I wanted to protect him. Those kinds of feelings didn't just spring up out of the blue. Did they? The Son family was making my question a lot of my preconceived notions about… well, everything.

Goku's eyes flickered to me. "Are you sure we want to talk about this in front of her?"

"I know she knows," Vegeta spat.

"Oh. Darn! Well you and Bulma said Gohan can't be around her because he's a hybrid and you're married so that only leaves me. Or am I missing someone? Did Nappa or Turles come back?" Goku stacked the pieces of his door near the entrance to the bedroom, completely relaxed.

"Bulma cannot give me a full-blooded male heir. Thus, this woman comes into play."

"Couldn't she just take one of the changed eggs from Videl and mix it with your sperm?" Gohan asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "She must have a way to grow children outside the womb if she can make a serum that will help Videl transition to becoming a Saiyan."

"Since when are you so brash?" I giggled to Gohan. "A few days ago you were scared to look at me."

"This is biology," Gohan said, "not girls. Girls are nerve-wracking but science is—"

"What's a sperm?" Goku interjected, scratching his head.

Vegeta snapped one of the posters off Goku's bed, turning red with fury. "Fools! I'm surrounded by utter morons! If the woman will give me one of her… eggs… I will let you carry on with this façade for a while longer. Otherwise, I'll be returning to Capsule Corp to tell Trunks and Goten they can make the wish they've both been desperately waiting for. Am I making myself clear?"

All three of us nodded at once and Vegeta stormed out of the house, breaking a few things on the way out. No one moved for several minutes even after he had flown off.

Goku sighed. "What a drama queen."

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**super saiyan 4 chichi-** Yeah after writing that I realized I needed to upgrade the rating. It sucks because M stories don't show up in regular searches. Grrr

**TFSrules-** He kind of had a clue!

**Cottoncandy101-** I did! Wooooo

**Kanosina-** Goku is so simple. Poor guy doesn't get the picture sometimes.


	16. Passion

**A/N**: Wooo, just sat down and wrote this in three hours. I've been watching FMA: Brotherhood for the past few days. It's pretty good. I've been tossing around a Winry/Hughes fanfic because I love alternate pairings. And Hughes was my favorite character. Or maybe a Sciezcka/Hughes fanfic.

**Warnings:** Lemon ahead. Mild, but still.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**16: Passion**

The filth in the house was too much for me to bear. I wasn't much of a homebody and I didn't know why I wanted to help the crazy guy who chewed on the back of my neck, but Goku's house was so messy that I couldn't stand leaving until it was clean. Gohan agreed to help us with a little persuasion and left to pick up a washer and dryer from his mother's house. It was convenient knowing people with super strength and speed—no need to worry about renting a moving truck if my dad threw me out. It was very possible. He had to fuming mad, storming around the house like a kid.

Goku helped me gather up the dirty clothes and sheets, some of which I tossed into a pile to be burned because they were so forgone. He still had an endless supply of training clothes but it was a waste to keep tossing out dirty ones at the end of the day. We set them aside and moved on to cleaning up the floor, throwing away a lot of the random rocks and twigs in the garbage. Goku wasn't as uncomfortable with it as I thought he'd be. Even he knew the mess was getting out of hand.

"Thanks a lot, Videl," he said, pausing for a minute in his sweeping. "It's really nice of you to help me despite everything I've done to you. If I had known about the mark I wouldn't have tried to do it. Vegeta kinda led me on with that one."

"It's fine. I'm not sick so that's something to be happy about."

No, it was not fine. Why did I keep saying everything was okay when inside I was screaming? Goku would probably wind up betraying me again and I was helping clean his house. My crush was worse than I thought and I was worried I might hurt Gohan's feelings with it. Luckily, the latter seemed to get the hint from his father that I was off-limits but I still felt terrible about it. As I watched Goku easily hoist the mattress off the bed, I got a bad feeling that I was permanently branded as his. Even if the mark wasn't technically right and Goku had said otherwise, I had strong doubts he'd let me hang around other men.

_Just stop liking him, _I thought to myself. _He's way older than you, immortal, and he has a son that's your age. It shouldn't be that hard to ignore a teensy crush. Besides, he only wants you because you might become a Saiyan. You mean nothing to him otherwise. He almost snapped your neck one night and nearly killed you again trying to 'mark' you, even though he said he'd let you choose._

Kami, it was hard. Goku was sweet and he meant well. He was loyal to his friends until the very end and had charisma so strong it nearly crushed you. The pace of my cleaning slowed down as I thought about our first and only kiss, when he was getting ready to mark me. Had that been when triggered his animalistic side or was it planned out before? He was gentle at first but quickly lost control and the awful fangs came out of his mouth. I shivered and moved on to cleaning the sole window in the room. Maybe that was a question better left unanswered.

Goku came back upstairs a few minutes later with a brand new mattress that he tossed on the bed and quickly curled up on. I leaned back on the window sill and watched him sourly. If it were up to him, he would've kept sleeping on the one coated in my blood instead of getting something clean. Speaking of which, how did he afford to go buy a new mattress so quickly? It didn't look like he worked and Chi-Chi wasn't exactly rolling in dough. Gohan must have shared crystals with his father, too.

"No breaks," I said.

There was no response. Goku's face was hidden in the mattress; all I could see was his spiky black hair. His back was lifting and falling softly. Had he really fallen asleep in the middle of cleaning?

My nerves started acting up the longer I stared at Goku. He had such big arms. What if he tried to sleep with me and broke me? He had done it before to other women, apparently. If I wanted to pursue anything with him, even something minor, I couldn't do it as a human. Part of me wanted to ask Chi-Chi how she managed for the handful of years they were married but it didn't seem proper. Goku was gone most of the time so she didn't have to worry too much about it. Now he wasn't going anywhere and he wanted me which was absolutely terrifying.

No, I would make the decision when I was good and ready. No one would push me into a relationship and I wouldn't be forced to become a Saiyan, either. If Goku couldn't be with me as a human then we wouldn't be together at all. My cheeks felt hot and I returned to scrubbing the window. What was wrong with me? Why was I thinking in the long-term state of mind? There were no guarantees and I hadn't even graduated high school yet. We barely knew each other.

Mom had always taught me to be careful, especially with men. It was probably because dad hadn't exactly been faithful and it hurt her deeply. I remembered the night she left when I was little; it was the last time I saw her in quite a while. She sat me down on my bed and told me love at first sight didn't exist, that it was a strong feeling two people built up together over time. But as my mind drifted back to the day I had first met Goku, when he nearly crushed me in a hug, I started to wonder if she could have been wrong. It would certainly explain a lot of my feelings…

There was a dull thud outside, snapping me out of my reverie and jolting Goku awake. We glanced at each other before heading downstairs to see Gohan already trying to put things in the washer. He had brought along as friend—it was Krillin if I remembered correctly. The short guy batted Gohan's hands away from the machine and started piling things inside it. Clearly he had experience.

"Hi, Videl!" Krillin said, waving heartily.

I waved back and became presently aware of Goku's presence behind me. We watched the two of them arguing over the washer for a few minutes, then one of Goku's big hands found its way to my shoulder.

"I'm going to bring you home tonight," he said. "Don't come back here. I'll bring the Dragon Balls to a distant planet to keep Bulma from them, but that doesn't mean she'll give up. It isn't safe for you to hang around us. You're a very nice girl. I'm ashamed of my feelings and even more ashamed of how many times I've considered acting on them. So please, don't come back."

"It's not like I'm a kid."

"To me, you are. Thank you for everything you've done."

There was no argument I could use. Goku was right. If he hid the Dragon Balls, the immediate threat from Bulma was gone but she would still be crazed trying to find a way to transform me. If I left I had a better chance of avoiding her, what with being in the crowded city and constantly fighting criminals. My chest felt tight and the hand of my shoulder squeezed tightly, silently apologizing for ending something that hadn't even begun.

The house was clean by nightfall and Gohan left to bring the washer and dryer back to his mother. I admired my handiwork for a while before Goku escorted me home, choosing to fly rather than instantly transport us there. We flew under the waning moon and said nothing. It hurt to be near him but I needed the body guard with Vegeta sniffing around. For all we knew, he could have been watching the entire day and gone home to tell Bulma what we were planning.

We entered my bedroom through the window and I was surprised when Goku followed me inside, shutting the window behind him. I stared at him quizzically through the darkness and noticed he was twiddling his thumbs. My stomach churned uncomfortably. That meant he was planning something. I'd been around him long enough to know that much.

"What's up?" I asked.

Goku took a step forward. "I… I want to keep you."

Well, shit.

"Turn around and go out that window," I said. "You're doing the right thing. Maybe we can talk again after I'm out of high school and—"

"At first I thought I was insane. I wanted you the day Gohan brought you home. Why would I want a teenage girl? I thought if I talked to you more it would go away but it just got stronger. So when you offered to help clean my house I realized my feelings were wrong and decided to end it. But I can't. It makes me sick to think of anyone else having you. I knew Gohan would come straight here when the full moon rose and I only wanted to stop him because the same thought kept running through my mind. _She's mine. _Not fear for your life, but fear for losing you to someone else.

"Then Vegeta tells me the mark doesn't work on humans." Goku laughed a little. "Which means if I want to keep you, you'll have to be a Saiyan. But Saiyan women are violent brutes. I like you as a human. I was happy I could keep you and still have a human girl. I have two kids and I don't want more, especially if they're evil like Vegeta or my brother, Raditz. Kami, I want you."

It wasn't hard to discern what Goku meant by "want," especially when his eyes were raking down my body. I liked him and found him attractive but I definitely didn't want to take it that far quite yet. Unfortunately, it was looking like Goku fully intended on doing what he wanted regardless of what I said. He never knew what to make of his emotions. They were always ricocheting back and forth.

"You need to leave," I said.

"I know you want me, too. I can smell it."

"Even if I did—and I'm not saying I do—I'm not doing that with you. Not for a while."

"Why?" Goku was suddenly in front of me, holding my face between his hands. His black eyes were full of genuine curiosity. "Sex isn't anything unless you make it something. It feels so good. You'd really like it if you let me show you. I promise I'll be really careful so I don't break you."

The moment was very fragile. One wrong move could mean the end of Videl Satan. I rooted myself firmly to the spot and glared into Goku's eyes, trying to be strict. He needed to learn boundaries. He needed to know I was not property but another functioning person. The Saiyan race must have been really ass-backwards in comparison to humanity.

"We are not having sex," I said, "and I do not belong to you. You can't keep me like a collectible doll. I'm sure you're used to thinking that way because Chi-Chi stayed home and never went out much, but rest assured, I am not and never will be your personal property. Understood?"

Goku stared at me blankly. "But we are having sex. I just said so."

Double shit. "No, both people have to agree or it's illegal."

"But… but I know you want me. Is it still illegal then?" He scratched his head and frowned. "You like me and I like you, so what am I missing?"

"It isn't the right time for us to be doing that. Kissing is okay but I don't want to have sex yet."

"Is it me? Do you think I'll be bad at it? I'm good, I swear. Kissing gets so boring so fast; I always want to keep going. You're not going to do it with someone else, are you?" Goku stepped closer and leaned his face in very close to mine, all traces of his friendly demeanor gone. "That would make me really upset, Videl. You belong to me."

"No," I said, shrinking down under his intense gaze. "It's just not the right time."

Everything I was saying was going right over Goku's head and leading his simple mind to the same conclusion: I was not being faithful. It didn't surprise me that Chi-Chi had given up and they divorced—living with a guy who was constantly paranoid about other men taking you away must have driven her berserk. We weren't even technically together and Goku was worried about me sleeping with someone else. I hoped he didn't turn his sights to Gohan.

Neither of us moved. Goku took a shaky breath and abruptly kissed me, nearly pushing me over. He grabbed the back of my head but I didn't need the encouragement. I kissed him back fervently, already losing control of myself. It was wrong, so wrong. His fingers knitted in my hair and he tugged back to expose my neck so he could layer it with more hot kisses. My clothes felt tight; the room was hot. I wrapped my arms halfway around his back and dug my fingernails in, trying to anchor myself.

Goku scooped me up and carried me to my bed, wasting no time in pinning me down by my wrists. I writhed underneath him, growing more and more excited by the minute. Oh well. I'd lose my virginity to some alien guy I met a few days ago who was twice my age. Fine with me. He flattened his body against mine and grinded into me, groaning in an oddly deep voice. We were making an awful lot of noise. It could disturb one of the maids and they'd tell my dad immediately if they saw us.

"Shh," I whispered, "you're being too loud."

"Sorry, I can't help it." He grinned at me goofily and my heart skipped a beat. "You're really small. If we do this I might break you in half."

"It's okay, women's bodies are designed to accommodate pretty much anything. Let me see it."

"Well, if you insist. But what does 'accommodate' mean?"

I untied the sash around Goku's waist. What the hell was wrong with me? "It's just a big word for 'fit.' Don't worry, we won't have any issues as long as you go slow. And I mean _slow. _If you make any sudden movements you could hurt me permanently."

"You're really underestimating my size," Goku said, becoming a bit worried.

"Relax, it can't be that bad."

When I tugged down his pants a bit to feel what was going to soon be inside me, I froze. It had to be another leg or something. I wasn't exaggerating in the least, according to what I learned in health class. The tips of my fingers couldn't even meet when I wrapped my hand around it. My hand glided down to check how long it was and I began to tremble a bit.

"I told you," Goku said. "You keep forgetting I'm not human. We're a lot alike but still different. I was honestly surprised Chi-Chi and I even had kids. Saiyan men are bigger than humans and our women were the same, so sex tends to be kind of difficult." He rubbed the back of his head, staring at my hand still wrapped limply around him. "Normally it isn't that bad, other than the night Chi-Chi lost her virginity, but with you… I don't know if we can. You're really tiny, Videl."

My sanity started coming back the longer I gawked at Goku. I quickly withdrew my hand and pulled myself from underneath him so I was sitting up. Why hadn't I thought of that before? He had a huge body so that meant everything would be huge. Goku seemed to be feeling more rational, too. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward to kiss me on the forehead. At least we hadn't done something we would have regretted later on. Thank Kami.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "You should go."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

There was a sound of the sash being retied and Goku kissed me once more before leaving the same way he came. I sighed. Why me?

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**DarkVoid116-** Yeah that's what I wanna do. I feel weird not having Gh/V so I might put that in later on. But I'm really glad you like it and think Bulma and her evil husband are in character!

**TFSrules-** "Hip-snapping good times." I feel like I need to incorporate that in.

**nancy103**- Goku learned well from Bulma! Not really.

**Cottoncandy101-** Hehe, always breaking the ice and detracting from the matter at hand. Good 'ol Goku.

**super saiyan 4 chichi-** Muchos gracias!


	17. Dystopia

**A/N:** I'm gonna shoot for 2500+ words a chapter from now on. Usually I do 2000 but I'd rather have more in it. Anywho, got kinda sick of all the angst so it's time for so good 'ol plot! I'm afraid to do lemons because is so strict now in regards to them and I don't want my precious story taken down.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**17: Dystopia**

Life returned to normal after that night for quite a while.

Well, "normal" didn't mean the same thing to Videl Satan as it did to most people. I went back to fighting crime in the streets without the aid of the Great Saiyaman, much to my disappointment. It was convenient having a superhuman around to help out and I was honestly becoming good friends with Gohan. The police force continued asking for me anyway and I was more than happy to be there instead of wasting away at school. Book smarts weren't a strong suit of mine.

School passed in a flash. I graduated and got a basic job at a local grocery store to pay for a car. It seemed weird to fly around everywhere and it worried dad. Besides, I wanted to be somewhat independent and stop relying on him for everything. Eventually I hoped to become a professional fighter in the ranks of the Son family but that was highly unlikely. Even so, I was already considered extremely powerful for a human woman. My stature made that even more impressive.

Summer arrived as a crippling heat wave that kept mostly everyone inside for a week. It just gave me more time to wonder about what the Son family was up to and how Bulma was faring without her science project hanging around anymore. As I was lolling around in bed one day waiting to go to work, a news report caught my eye. I normally didn't bother paying attention to it but the people on the television looked oddly like my alien friends. They had black hair but the cruel smiles seemed out of place. Curious, I turned up the volume and listened closely.

"Three men who are calling themselves 'Saiyans' have begun destroying neighboring Lum Town," the newscaster said. "All attempts to stop this attack have been futile and the military fears they may be similar to the infamous Cell, who was narrowly defeated by Hercule Satan. Unfortunately, Mr. Satan has been too busy to visit Lum Town."

My face soured. Dad was just afraid he'd get his butt kicked again. The report didn't have much else to say, other than the usual sensationalist nonsense. Goku must have been mistaken when he said there weren't any more Saiyans in the universe. We already knew Bulma couldn't use anyone except me to restart the race so that was the only explanation I could think of. I yawned and shut off the TV, looking forward to seeing a new report the next day about how Goku and co. easily crushed them. They would be nothing compared to the horror of Cell. The phone next to my bed started ringing and I mindlessly answered it.

"Hey!" Erasa said. "Sharpner and I were going to the lake and we wanted to know if you'd like to come. A few other people are gonna meet us there but you can catch a ride with Sharpiekins and I!"

"Sharpiekins?" I echoed.

"Isn't it a cute nickname? Well, we'll be down in fifteen minutes. You better get ready!"

The line went dead. I sighed and rolled out of bed to put on my bathing suit under my clothes. Erasa wasn't kidding when she threatened me; I learned that the hard way. When I dug out my bikini I realized I hadn't gone shopping in a while. I'd have to take that up with Erasa. She was always excited whenever I suggested we head to the mall. It didn't bother me but I didn't like wandering around all day. I was a fairly straightforward person: I got what I needed and left.

_Except when I tried getting answers from Goku and accidentally got a massive crush on him._

The thought made my cheeks burn. Every full moon I sat up in bed almost wishing I would hear scratching on the window or growling to let me know they were still around. Sometimes I wondered if they were a figment of my imagination—dad never talked about it, so maybe it never happened. I could've hit my head and gone into a coma. For all I knew, I could be permanently stuck in coma, trapped in a world parallel to our own within the confines of my own mind. Or Goku's contraptions kept him sequestered away from humanity when he became a monster.

A car horn announced my friends' arrival a bit later. I rushed outside and was immediately attacked by a bone-crushing hug from Erasa, who easily hoisted me into the air and spun me around. She was kind of crazy but I still didn't know what I'd do without her. We piled into the car with Sharpner in the driver's seat, who wasn't as interested in greeting me. It'd only been a few weeks since we graduated high school. Then again, a few weeks was like years in Erasa time.

"It's so damn hot," Sharpner said as we drove down the highway. "This lake better be worth it."

"Everyone's going to be there. We'll be out all night and it's gonna cool off when the sun finally decides to set." Erasa's eyes widened. "Oh! It's a full moon, too! How exciting! I think there's a blue moon this month! I love when cool things happen."

"A… blue moon?" I asked.

"When there're two full moons in one month, silly," Erasa said.

That didn't seem like a good time for me to be out and about with a bunch of drunken teenagers. First off, there were possible Saiyans hanging around just a couple miles outside the city in Lum Town. Second, two full moons might mean Goku and Gohan were twice as desperate to wreak havoc as they normally were at that time. But they hadn't even tried to attack me in almost a year so I doubted they would bother risking it. Plus, the Saiyans were perfectly content in Lum. My nerves were starting to get the best of me again like they always used to.

We pulled up at the lake as the sun was sinking over the horizon. Erasa left Sharpner to unload our things and dragged me toward a table set up with different kinds of booze: beer, vodka, rum. Drinking wasn't something I really liked to do but if the opportunity presented itself I didn't want to turn it down. We made fruity, sugary drinks together, giggling and chattering about what a good boy Sharpner was. When he turned up I was already beginning to feel a little tipsy.

Erasa reached up to touch her boyfriend's hair. "Sharpiekins, you have such nice hair."

"Yeah, yeah." Sharpner leaned against the table, scowling deeply when Erasa and I snickered. "You two are lightweights. Why do I keep forgetting that?"

"Probably because it doesn't have to do with sports," I said, chewing on my tiny straw. I poked it around in my drink, trying to find the sugar.

"Shut up!" Sharpner snapped.

Erasa grinned. "Come on, Videl, let's go swimming. Sharpiekins is cranky tonight."

We abandoned our drinks and haphazardly peeled off our clothes to join the other teens already swimming around in the lake. Erasa was drunk enough to jump in but I hesitated a bit, testing the temperature with the tip of my toe. It was surprisingly warm but that could've been because of the alcohol flowing through my bloodstream. I carefully lowered myself into the water and made my way over to Erasa, who was already chatting it up with a few guys to make Sharpner jealous. Everyone was being loud. It was a good thing we were in the middle of nowhere.

For a while, it felt like I had never met the crazy family in the woods. Laughter rang through the woods and I finally was at peace with my short encounter with the Son family. Everything was back to normal. My friends accepted me, I graduated high school, and I was on my way to becoming a renowned fighter. Alcohol seemed to be flowing like water as the night progressed, deepening the shadows on the lake. The reflection of the full moon was marred by all the teenagers swimming around in the water.

Of course it couldn't last.

There was a loud roar from somewhere to my left and I didn't see what caused it—people were suddenly screaming and running around, clawing their way out of the lake. The roar shook the entire campsite again and I felt someone drag me out of the water onto shore. Erasa was next to me, shrieking like I had never heard before, and she shoved my head down so I wouldn't be decapitated by a flying car. When I finally looked up, my heart gave a terrible jolt.

Amidst the catastrophe stood a gargantuan ape with beady red eyes that glowed malevolently in the darkness. Long teeth curled from its mouth and it roared again, attracting the attention of two more horrible monsters that looked exactly like it. They glanced between one another before stepping into the clearing, crushing a few people underfoot in the process. Erasa yelled something into my ear and forced me to my feet but I angrily tore my arm free of her grasp and stumbled toward the creatures. They had to be the Saiyans. Goku warned me about what happened to the ones who had tails.

"Hey!" I shouted, waving my arms madly. "Leave them alone! I know what you three are and you're not going to kill anyone else without answering to me."

The lead ape looked down at me and grinned, showing off his fangs. "Oh look, a pitiful human woman. What do you think, men? Should I crush her under my foot or is she deserving of having her head torn from her body? I do love playing these games with humans."

"I'm gonna restart your goddamn race!" I slurred. Maybe confronting aliens was a bad idea when I was drunk. I had to keep that one in mind.

"So you're the one the scientist is raving about!" piped up the monkey to the left. "We've already tried that nonsense. Our race will die proudly, so long as Kakarot admits he is a waste of flesh and dies quickly. We have already accepted our fate."

"They're gonna wish on the Balls!" I said.

"Wish?" said the leader.

There was a flash of light to the left of me and a pair of strong arms was around me before I could protest. A hand covered my mouth quickly and I angrily thrashed in the stranger's grasp, trying to escape and let the monkeys know everything that I had gone through for their stupid race.

"Sorry boys," said my captor, "but this human is kind of off-limits."

The drunkenness receded when I heard the voice. Goku.

"Ah, Kakarot!" exclaimed the leader. "We've been killing as many humans as possible to lure you out. Who knew you'd choose the full moon? Don't you have to keep yourself inside?"

"I can manage," Goku said. His voice sounded strained.

The lead ape raised one huge eyebrow and bent down to get closer to us. "Hmm. Well, my name is Letux and these are my associates, Colard and Pota. We received word from Vegeta that there was a weak link living on this planet so we had to come investigate. No hard feelings." He grinned and wiped human remains off his foot.

"Why are so many Saiyans hiding out in space?" Goku asked.

"The survivors were scattered," Colard said. "It's safer for everyone to be apart. But don't worry, we're still in the business of destroying planets and selling them for a profit. Though, you're not really pulling your own weight; nor if your little friend Vegeta. We listened to him babbling about rebirthing our entire race but it was nonsense. Now that you've wasted our time, we'll decimate this place."

"This mindless destruction will lead to the end of the Saiyans," Goku said. "I want our race to come back but there's only one way to do it. The girl wasn't lying. We have a way."

The three apes exchanged looks between themselves; trying to decide it he was telling the truth. I was starting to feel kind of nauseas and confused as to why Goku was letting it slip that they had a puppet for the reemergence of the Saiyans. He couldn't have meant me. That was why he stopped me from spilling the beans completely in the first place. Hopefully nothing had changed and he still wanted me to make that decision by myself instead of giving other people the choice.

"Fine," said Letux, "we'll listen to what you have to say. Meet us at Capsule Corporation tomorrow morning. We have to make sure we avoid the moonlight."

Goku nodded and the three apes turned away, probably headed back to Lum Town. I struggled for a few more minutes until he finally let go, carelessly dropping me to the ground. What was wrong with him? He was infinitely more powerful than they were; he could crush them in an instant. Didn't he love Earth? Didn't he care about her people anymore? I thought that was one of his discerning characteristics that set him apart from the other Saiyans.

"Why'd you let them walk away?" I demanded.

"We need to talk."

"About what? The kids they just trampled on? The town they've been destroying? Why are you just sitting back and letting them do what they want?"

"I haven't been out much recently."

I scrambled to my feet and pushed Goku. Of course he didn't budge, but it made me feel better. "People are dying and you're sitting back at home doing nothing. We didn't know each other very well but I thought I knew you better than that. How many lives are too many? How many people—"

Two huge hands were suddenly holding my wrists together, keeping Goku safe from my angry assault. His black eyes were burning with something I vaguely remembered from the last night I had seen him. But it was stronger this time. Hungrier, even. He leaned in close to me and furrowed his brow.

"Stop yelling," Goku said. "It makes me want you more. Relax and let me explain things to you. Bulma has been doing a few things behind our backs."

Life returned to being utterly bizzare.

* * *

**Reviews/comments/questions**

**TFSrules- **Yes, it's THAT big! Makes sense, considering how freaking huge Goku is. I'm glad you could picture it so clearly!

**DarkVoid116-** Ah, I see. I won't torture you, then. :)

**Kanosina**- Yeah at that point Gohan kind of knows his place in regards to the G/Gh/Vi thing.

**super saiyan 4 chichi-** Yes...plenty of want... :D


	18. The Ties That Bind

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long! I've been really busy. :(

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**18: The Ties That Bind**

"Bulma did it. She created Saiyan warriors and has them convinced they're actually from outer space. Right now she's letting them rampage until they calm down a bit, but after that, I don't know what she has planned. My guess is a takeover of the entire planet."

We were walking through the woods toward the city, away from the mayhem by the lake. Goku had his hands stuffed deep in his pockets as he talked, focused on the path ahead of us rather than looking at me. I knew it was hard for him to control himself when there was a full moon so I tried not to test his patience. When I asked to go back and look for my friends, he outright refused, saying it wasn't safe and he could tell they were okay. After calling the authorities we left the bloody party.

It wasn't in Goku's nature to ignore people in need. He must have been really scared for my safety or known there was nothing he could do for them. The story became clearer the further we walked—he declined flying because it made our energy too obvious and easy to trace. It was eerily still as we made our way to the city. I hoped nothing had happened there in my absence. If I suddenly left, that could trigger Goku's latent aggression and it wouldn't end well for either of us. I walked in silence.

Goku helped me over a log, keeping his eyes on the ground. "I kind of figured she would find a way, though. Bulma's really stubborn. If she wants something, she makes it happen. Gohan and I haven't heard from her in months now." He risked a peek at me. "Or you. But I guess that was my fault."

"It was safer for me to ignore you," I said.

"That doesn't mean I liked it. I didn't scare you away, did I?"

Telling him the truth seemed harsh so I shook my head like his even asking deeply offended me. It still frightened me to think of Goku losing control over himself and forcing me into sex, especially after I saw what was between his legs. He could literally kill me if he wasn't careful and the full moon made him completely careless. One wrong move could take away my ability to have kids. Any other wrongs moves might leave me in the hospital for a week trying to explain some very embarrassing injuries.

The Saiyan's black eyes drilled through me. "That's why it would be easier if you weren't a human. For that and for the war we're probably going to have with the Saiyans soon. I doubt Bulma only made three. She must have an army started in the basement of Capsule Corp. It would really put me at ease if you were able to hold your own against them."

"I can," I said, "I was just kinda drunk back there. Don't worry, if any Saiyans come knocking on my door I'll gladly knock their heads off. It's gonna take more than that to kill me."

"No, it won't." Goku suddenly gripped a tree trunk with one hand and easily crushed it, sending the top half crashing to the earth. "We're extremely powerful, Videl. Your fists mean nothing against them. All those tiny, breakable bones you have will be snapped in two before the fight actually starts. Saiyan bodies are built to take a beating and just get stronger the more they're abused. I know you don't want to be like us and I can't say I blame you."

"I'm not throwing away my humanity for this. I'm fast and more than capable of taking a few hits."

"If a bullet can kill you then you can't fight a Saiyan."

My eyes narrowed. "This isn't an elaborate scheme to turn me into a Saiyan, is it?"

"Of course not. It isn't in my nature to kill and I'd rather talk with them before we do that. I've been inside for a long time, too. I need to train if we're going to fight."

"Inside? Why?"

"I just haven't had many things to do." Goku smiled vaguely and continued walking, prompting me to follow. "We're going to a new place today. You get to meet Dende and Piccolo up at Kami's Lookout. I'm gonna drop you off there really quick before I grab Krillin and Yamcha."

Goku grabbed my forearm and within seconds we were standing atop what appeared to be a palace floating in the sky. I curiously peered over the edge and gasped when I saw only a thick layer of puffy clouds separating Kami's Lookout from the rest of Earth. How had no one seen the place before? It must have been extremely high up or had some sort of enchantment to keep it veiled. Goku took my arm again and led me toward the building, past a fountain that reflected the glowing full moon.

I cleared my throat as we entered the silent building. "What happened to holing yourself away during the full moon? Are you sure you can control yourself?"

We stopped walking. Goku looked at his palms and flexed his fingers. "No. But there's going to be another one tomorrow night and we can't wait that long. I'm kind of strung out so be careful and we should both be okay."

"It's not gonna cause you any harm."

"Not physical, no." He looked up at me and gently touched my cheek, oddly somber. "But inside, I'll hurt."

Two people emerged from the darkness which was quickly illuminated by lamps. The first was a green man with pointy ears and antennae sprouting from his forehead. He was wearing white robes and supporting himself with a staff, but otherwise looked pretty young. The second person was much shorter and had midnight black skin with massive eyes that pierced through my soul. He was a bit unnerving and I tried not to maintain eye contact with him for very long.

The green man extended a hand and smiled. "Hello, you must be Videl. My name is Dende and this is Mr. Popo. We're the guardians of Earth, so to speak, but Goku takes care of the physical side of things. We have a room set up for you with some extra security." Dende's eyes flickered to Goku.

"I'm heading back to Earth to see Bulma," Goku said. "Vegeta and Gohan will be out later on and I'm sure they'll be tracking Videl's scent, so be careful, Dende. Do as much as you can but don't get yourselves hurt. Hopefully I can figure this out before the two of them get out. I'm going to hide tomorrow night if all goes according to plan but if it doesn't… well, we have a new group of Saiyans terrorizing the Earth."

"What about the others?" Dende asked.

"I was going to bring them but it isn't safe. Bulma is my friend; she's my responsibility." Goku cracked his knuckles. "I'll be back in the morning."

Before I could tell him to be careful, he used his disappearing trick. Dende chuckled slightly and offered to show me to my room, quietly leading me through the building. The lights went out as we walked past them and I started wondering how I could keep making excuses to my father. Now I was a problem child: sneaking out to drink, hanging around with dangerous people and getting involved with an older man. Dende opened a door and wished me a good night, shutting it gently behind me.

The room was plain but I hadn't been expecting anything ritzy. A bathroom adjoined the room and some fresh pajamas were on the bed, neatly folded and pressed. I brought them in the other room to take a quick shower—there was blood on my clothes, along with dirt and whatever else I picked up in the woods. My head was still swimming a bit from the alcohol; I hoped the heat would help chase away a hangover in the morning. It felt good to wash off the grime from the day and gave me some time to think. What better time to ponder how strange my life was?

The Son family was back in my life once again. I thought I had left that all behind but it seemed unlikely that would ever happen. Not that I minded. It upset me more than I let on that Goku had left and never said a word to me again. There were a few times I wished he would knock on the window. But I tried to be practical. We were literally from different worlds and his family seemed really close-knit. They wouldn't want Goku involved with an outsider. When Gohan and I first met most of them were hesitant until they realized I wouldn't spread their secrets.

When my shower was over I put on my clean clothes and wrapped my hair up in a towel. For being aliens, they were all well-adjusted to human life. I simply tossed my dirty clothes in the trash (they were too forgone to be cleaned) and walked back into my bedroom. As I rubbed my hair dry and shook out the droplets of water so I wouldn't soak the sheets, I heard a strange rattling sound coming from the window. Curious, I parted my curtain of sopping hair and squinted through the darkness to see a familiar figure standing on the ledge outside.

Gohan had his palms pressed to the glass and his eyes had turned completely black, glittering malevolently in the moonlight. His mouth was slightly ajar and long teeth jutted from within, making him look like a crazed wild animal. He noticed me staring in terror and a horrible grin spread across his face, touching his empty eyes that were eagerly focused on me. All it would take was one tiny kick. He would be in the bedroom and I would probably be dead soon after. That was Gohan's poison—murder.

My gaze traveled down his body to his bloodied and torn clothes that still had remnants of whatever person or animal he had killed. He had hastily wiped the blood off his mouth but it wasn't hard to guess he had been eating his prey, probably alive and raw. It was painful for me to see Gohan in such a state. He looked frenzied and I desperately wanted to remind him of his humanity, but Goku and I had already talked about what that might mean for me. They were all superhumans whose powers were increased tenfold during the full moon. Gohan could kill me without meaning to.

I laughed hoarsely, finally remembering to breathe. "What're you doing here?" My mouth was bone dry. I wanted to run.

"I smelled you," Gohan said, pushing his face to the glass. From what I could tell, his eyes raked down my body and he squirmed like his skin was crawling with bugs. "Come out. I want to tear you up."

"That's not really enticing. You should find your father."

"He tried to lock me away. Some of my fingernails fell off when I tried to get out of that prison." Gohan pawed at the glass.

"That was for a good reason. You're not yourself right now and I'm sure he can help you relax. Trust him and go back home. Does your mother know you're out right now? Chi-Chi must not appreciate her son running around in the dead of the night like some hooligan."

The window groaned under Gohan's weight and he licked his lips. I tried to compare the two worst things that could happen to me: being murdered and being sexually assaulted. Gohan would probably be too crazed to do anything but tear me to pieces, but it was a better fate than living with the pain of surviving an attack. All I had in my arsenal was some energy I could make into beams if I concentrated and my own two fists. I wasn't a Saiyan and I wasn't special. Just a regular 'ol human.

Becoming a Saiyan was growing more and more attractive by the minute. If there was truly a war starting like Goku said I needed that kind of strength. I couldn't hope to win with my puny human body that could barely take a normal person's punch. What would it feel like being socked in the gut by a space warrior? The Son family was mostly all muscle and even they flinched a bit when one or the other threw a well-aimed fist in their direction. Maybe when I saw Goku again we could gather the Dragon Balls and give me the fighting edge I needed.

The glass shattered, spraying shards that flew toward my eyes. I shielded myself as Gohan leapt into the room, grinning wickedly and shaking pieces of glass off that had imbedded into his skin. The noise alone could rouse Dende but I didn't have time to wait around. I snatched up my towel and spun it around a few times to create a makeshift rope that could hopefully pin Gohan when the time was right. As expected, he was too insane to even gauge the situation. He was on me in an instant but I was somehow a hair quicker—I slipped around his side and wrapped the towel around his neck, swinging onto his back so my weight made him trip onto the floor. Saiyan or not, he would still hate being strangled.

When I drew the towel tighter he rolled onto his back so I was crushed with all his weight, easily knocking the breath from my lungs. My grip on the towel loosened and he spun around to seize my throat, rapidly suffocating me with his huge hands. I flailed wildly, trying to think of how I could get myself out of the mess I was in while black spots popped up in my field of vision. At some point my hands fell upon his head and I instinctively grabbed a fistful of hair to yank fiercely to the side. Gohan howled in pain, briefly freeing my neck so I could start breathing again.

We tumbled to the floor in a heap, neither one taking the lead in the fight. My only advantage was that Gohan wasn't able to focus on his strength enough to use it properly. It made us more or less evenly matched. As sweat poured down my face and I desperately wondered what the hell Dende had gone, Gohan finally managed to pin me down by the wrists on the floor. We lay there for a few minutes, panting and glaring at each other through the impregnable darkness. Droplets of sweat dripped from his forehead and fell onto my hairline. I was mildly proud of myself for bringing him to his knees.

"It's okay to fight a bit," Gohan said, "but I don't like that kind of fighting."

"I'm just getting warmed up. Let me go and we'll see how this turns out in the end. Are you afraid of the challenge? Worried a girl might beat you up?"

Gohan scowled, deepening the blackness in his eyes. "No. I don't like playing with my prey. Killing is fun, though." His hands crept around my neck again. "I like to kill."

Through the encroaching darkness, I heard someone shout.


	19. False Idols

**A/N:** Kind of had to put a lot of stuff in this chapter! But I like it. I've gotta head to bed so no review responses again. I'm a jerk, I know, but I have to work. ):

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**19: False Idols**

The immense pressure on my throat was suddenly lifted and I gasped desperately for air, trembling like a leaf and coughing as I came back to life. Gohan had almost killed me. The kid I had met in class who looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly had nearly strangled me to death. Of course, it wasn't normally in his nature to do something like that—his personality literally flipped when the full moon rose—but it was still unnerving to know something inside him was capable of murder. There was a blue moon this month and the ruthless killer inside Gohan would become even more bloodthirsty.

To my surprise, my savior wasn't a Saiyan or any hybrid thereof. It was the green guy I had met a while ago. From what I remembered, he was from the same race Dende was. A… Namek? His name escaped me for a few seconds while he dragged Gohan to the window and threw him outside, making him growl in protest. When he turned to face me again I remembered—Piccolo! He folded his green arms and closed his eyes, smiling a bit from what I could tell in the darkness. I wobbled to my feet and wiped blood from the corner of my mouth. My shower had been in vain.

"You're a tenacious human," Piccolo said. "It isn't easy being associated with Goku and his friends. I learned that the hard way. One minute they're saving the world and the next they're going on a killing spree. But you've proven you can hold your own with them, which is something to be proud of."

"Thanks… for that and for saving me. He was about to crush my windpipe."

"I tend to be the one that cleans up Goku's messes he leaves behind." Piccolo leaned against the wall and stared at me, hard. "But it isn't safe for you to be here. Regardless of what Goku says, I know he can't control himself come the full moon tomorrow. We need to figure out a way to hide you from them; all of them. He can't know where you're going. Do you have any ideas?"

I limped over to my bed and sat down, grimacing a bit. It seemed that my leg was currently out of order. "I would say we could get a ship from Bulma and go out to a different planet but I'm pretty sure she's the last person I should see right now. On Earth, I have no ideas where to hide from them. I guess our only option is to go to a different country and hope they can't follow our trail."

"Crossing borders means nothing to Goku. He's been across the universe. I think you can stay in his old cubby at Chi-Chi's as long as we cover your scent. He'll still probably check there but we can lead him away with another distraction. It would be best for you and Chi-Chi to hide there together. Goku will be too crazed to think straight and he'll give up looking after a while. Like I said, if worse comes to worst we can lead him off with a different scent."

"That'll work. Then I can go home and stop getting mixed up with you people."

Piccolo smirked. "That's what I used to say to myself all the time. Stay here for the night so they don't suspect anything in the morning. I'll be back around sunset tomorrow. Goku should be busy elsewhere and we won't have the moon to worry about. I'm going to tell Dende what happened."

A strange light shot out of his fingertip and reconstructed the window, taking the glass out of my skin along with it. Piccolo left without saying anything more, shutting the door quietly behind himself. I tried to fix my hair a bit and lay back in bed, but the pulsating pain in my leg was unbearable. There was no way I would fall asleep. Even if I did, it would only last for an hour at max. I cursed Gohan and carefully felt along my leg to make sure it wasn't broken. Touching it brought a lot of stinging but if I tried hard enough I could still make it move, which meant it was holding together. I'd have to spend my entire day recuperating for my escape the next night.

It turned out the pain wasn't enough to keep me up. I fell asleep a few minutes later, too stressed out to even force my eyes open.

Morning came sooner than I had wished. I sat up in bed and stretched, hissing when my leg stung in protest. It didn't help that I was incapable of fighting now. I knew I had to be stowed away somewhere to keep Goku and co. away but I was depending on having my four appendages to protect me if he did stumble upon my hiding spot. As I began massaging my leg to loosen the muscles, a knock roused my attention. Before I could give the person permission to enter, Gohan was inside the room.

He was a mess. There was still blood all over his clothes and his eyes looked sunken and exhausted. My eyes fell upon his neck and I felt a bit proud of myself—there was an obvious red mark from when I had the upper hand with the towel. I watched carefully as he sat on the bed, twiddling his thumbs nervously and not meeting my eyes. It surprised me that Piccolo had let him in.

"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I didn't mean to. You know I would never attack you like that, right? Videl? Right?" His eyes brimmed with tears and he rubbed them fiercely. "I have no control over it. Over myself. It's a horrible feeling. Don't let anyone convince you to become one of us. Sure having a longer life and being powerful is nice, but the sacrifices you have to make don't balance it out."

The door opened again and more people came in before I could tell Gohan I was only moderately mad at him. Piccolo was leading the pack, eyeing Gohan suspiciously, and behind him came Dende, Mr. Popo and Goku at the end of the train. My heart leapt at the sight of him. He looked weary but was otherwise in one piece. His eyes fell upon his son and he looked away quickly, unable to hide his disappointment. I didn't think it was fair to blame any of them for what they did under the full moon. It was instinct. It came from somewhere deep within.

Dende leaned on his staff, looking thoughtful. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're entirely human, Videl. Fighting a Saiyan is no easy task and you did well despite your difference in strength."

"That's the whole reason Bulma picked her," Gohan said hoarsely. "She's an anomaly or a prodigy if you think about it. No human man is stronger than her, nor is any woman. Her body would be able to tolerate transforming from the molecular level while a normal person would die in the process."

"There's no time to argue about whether or not Videl should become one of you. We have a crisis on our hands the likes of which we haven't seen in years." Piccolo crossed his arms and looked at Goku, who was staring blankly at his son. "What did you figure out last night? Do you know how many warriors she has? This is going to be ten times harder without her and Vegeta on our side."

"Vegeta's always been a lone wolf," Goku said. "The three men Videl and I met were the only ones she's created, but I'm guessing she's gonna make more. If we all work together we can get rid of them. Still, something doesn't feel right. It's almost too easy."

"It could be a trap to get to Videl," Dende said.

"Pretty elaborate for a human she doesn't really need anymore," I said, tapping my chin. "If she can make Saiyans in her lab, I'm definitely disposable now. Unless Vegeta has some other plan then I think she's really going for world domination. Are you sure they're Saiyans, Goku? Could they just be replicas? I would imagine it'd be hard to make a human being from nothing and she doesn't have a female Saiyan's DNA to work with. How could she make something out of nothing?"

"They had tails and the same ruthless attitude. Bulma is a genius. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for her." Goku's eyes had traveled to the leg I was massaging and narrowed angrily.

"It's more or less impossible, though," Dende said, "even if Bulma's that smart. That means the Saiyans she made aren't truly from your race so they're probably weaker. It also means she probably still wants Videl, or at least some of her DNA." He shook his head sadly. "What's driven her to this?"

"She's bonded to Vegeta," Piccolo said, leaning against the wall. "Mixing her genius with his evil was something we should have tried to prevent. But none of us knew any of this until now. Our most important objective is keeping Vegeta and Bulma away from both Videl and the Dragon Balls. If they find those we're doomed."

The conversation turned to the topic of an all-out war and I politely excused myself, hobbling out of the room like the pathetic cripple I was. Before I could shut the door, Goku grabbed it and followed me out, quietly closing it behind him. We stood silently in the hallway for a few minutes, not saying anything. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Did he want me to leave? Was he mad about my fight with Gohan? It hadn't been my fault. It was never my damn fault. Blame it all on the human.

Goku motioned for me to follow him and we walked down the hall, passing through a few corridors until we arrived in a kitchen. I took a seat and couldn't help but grin. Of course he had to get something to eat. Food was his kryptonite. He smiled sheepishly while he made a couple of sandwiches that were down his throat in the blink of an eye. When he was finished, he sat across from me in the bright kitchen and hoisted my bum leg up on his lap to gently examine my injuries.

"Korrin has a senzu bean left," Goku said. "You can have it if you want it but I think you'll be okay. Just relax today and try not to worry too much. Are you hungry?"

"I'm fine. What happened when you went to Bulma's? You were kind of vague."

"She and Vegeta weren't around. I… had to get rid of one of her Saiyans. I think it was Pota. They aren't really strong without the moon around so Dende must be right. That means she and Vegeta are still after you. But don't worry. I won't let them touch a hair on your head. Your leg doesn't seem to be broken so the senzu bean probably isn't necessary."

I raised an eyebrow. "What about when I'm running for my life tonight? I'll probably need my leg then."

"I'm going to be very far away from everyone. I'm tired of hurting people and not being able to control myself. It's going to be really hard but I have to do it. Unfortunately, Gohan and I won't be around to protect you or anyone else from the false Saiyans. So do me a big favor and promise to lay low. You've proven you're strong for a human but they won't hesitate to rip you apart."

"You always tell me that," I said sourly. "You're supposed to hide during the full moon but for some reason you always show up. But I'll do what you say and try to keep myself out of trouble, even though it's you and your family usually dragging me into it."

"I'm serious, Videl. I don't want to hurt you or anyone else. Gohan and I will both be completely crazy. It's very important that no one know where we're going so we don't get any curious visitors. You've seen firsthand how gruesome we are. It gets ten times worse tonight. The second the moon rises in the sky, hide. You'll need to cover your scent, too—take a few showers and make sure you don't leave any traces. We'll both be able to find you in five minutes if you don't."

"Okay, okay."

I started feeling warm as his hands traveled up my leg, expertly curing the horrible pain I had been feeling just a few minutes ago. Goku was an oddity. On the outside, he looked like an extremely powerful warrior, but that strength didn't detract from who he was as a person. Unfortunately, his kind and gentle demeanor conflicted directly with his Saiyan heritage: he loved the thrill of a fight. He was always trying to suppress his instincts.

Goku paused and began drawing small circles on my thigh. "So… well, we didn't really get to talk last night. I was kinda pressed for time and I didn't want to stress myself out too much. I'm sorry if I scared you the last time we were… you know… together?" He leaned back to rub the back of his head, blushing furiously. "Anyway, that kind of thing isn't really important to me. So if we couldn't do that stuff I wouldn't like you any less. Normally I can talk about this without sounding so dumb but it's hard when you're talking to someone attractive, you know?"

"Yeah," I said, suddenly feeling awkward. "I know how that is. It didn't really scare me so to speak, just surprised me a little. It's not really important to me, either. I'd kind of prefer we wait to do that for a while, until we know each other better. Not that I think I don't know you because I do. So I guess we don't have to wait, right? But I'm a bit worried you'll hurt me by accident."

"Chi-Chi and I made it work. It's hard and it was even worse because she and I never really got along. I'm sure it won't be that bad. But if you can't I won't be mad."

The heat was becoming uncomfortable and my leg was feeling better, so I carefully slid it off Goku's lap and rose to my feet. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to Goku about our obvious feelings for one another. That could wait for another day when I wasn't terrified for my life. It would be better to sit down and have a long conversation rather than rush to say what we wanted to. He helped me to my feet and escorted me back down the hall. His hands were shaking.


	20. Rebirth

**A/N**: Sooo I might have lied in the prologue. Lol. If I get less lazy I'll get rid of it or fix it. This chapter was getting really long so I had to kind of cut it off. Sowwwwwy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**20: Rebirth**

Lying around all day was even more boring than I expected. The rest of the group ended up coming to Kami's Lookout (Chi-Chi, Krillin, 18, and Yamcha) but despite their best efforts, I was inconsolably bored. Chi-Chi came into my room and we talked for a while about her and Goku, why their marriage didn't work out and how he was a child at heart and always would be. She knew as well as everyone else that he and I had feelings for one another and it didn't bother her one bit. I was kind of annoyed that she found it more funny than anything else.

The men sparred outside in the courtyard before the huge building. All I could hear was shouting and the occasional crackling of electricity from the sheer energy they all gave off. I squirmed in bed, desperately wanting to join in on the fighting. Goku could train me to be a true warrior and I'd become the strongest fighter in the world, even more powerful than my father. My little tussle with Gohan had left me thirsty for battle; I wanted to feel the thrill of truly fighting for my life. But I remained in my room like a good patient with my leg elevated and chatted with Chi-Chi.

When Mr. Popo brought lunch around two, we ate in silence. Part of me was hoping Chi-Chi would leave so I could talk to Goku more. At the same time, I liked having the company of another woman, even if we were worlds apart. She had gone through pain the likes of which I had never seen all for the sake of her family that she struggled to keep together. But she and Goku couldn't make it work no matter how hard they tried. Their separation was a mutual decision they were both happy with. This meant that Goku and I could technically be together, but it was awkward being Gohan's stepmother.

Our age difference made things really hairy. Paired with Goku's immortality, a relationship between us seemed downright impossible. We had a lot in common and got along very well, but I didn't want to be old and wrinkly while he was still young and perfect. No wonder Chi-Chi had been so stressed out being with him. On top of Bulma's backwards experiment changing her personality, she had watched herself steadily grow older while her husband remained around the age of 25. He would always be in his prime while she would always be traveling closer and closer to death.

Chi-Chi noticed my thoughtful expression and paused in eating her noodles. "Something bothering you, Videl? You'll be fine tonight. We'll both be hidden away and no one will be able to find us. By tomorrow morning this will all be settled and we can get rid of those darn Saiyans."

"No," I said, "just thinking about Gohan. How's he doing in all this?"

"It's very hard for him to accept what he is. It's honestly hard for me, too, but he's my son and I have to support him whenever he needs it. The full moon makes them act out the deepest desires of their hearts… I guess its unnerving knowing your son's heart is telling him to kill things." She put down her fork and looked out the window, smiling softly. "He and Goten have it the worst. They're always at war within themselves, fighting off the animal inside. I feel guilty bringing them into this world."

"There was no way you could've known. Don't blame yourself. Even Goku had no clue who or what he was for a really long time. Gohan is an intelligent, incredibly compassionate man and Goten will be equally as terrific when he grows up. You have two beautiful, perfect sons. Don't let anything change your love for them, Chi-Chi. I know Gohan cares deeply about you."

Tears brimmed in Chi-Chi's eyes and she nodded quickly, wiping them away on her sleeve. "I know. It's just so hard sometimes being involved with people from space, you know?"

"Tell me about it," I muttered.

The day drifted onward until the sun finally started to set around eight. Chi-Chi and I made our way out to the courtyard to have dinner with everyone, where picnic tables and a fire were already set up. Goten had made his way back home and Chi-Chi gave him a fierce hug as soon as she laid eyes on him. I hoped he would stay with us during the fight so she didn't worry too much. I took a seat at one of the picnic tables and Krillin brought over a plate of fries and chicken fingers for me. When I started eating, I heard the picnic table groan a bit as another person sat down beside me.

Goku sidled closer so our thighs were touching. "Sorry I didn't see you much today. I was training so—"

"You were doing what you love. So what?" I picked through my fries until I found a particularly crunchy one. "I wouldn't expect you to sacrifice a part of yourself for me. You like fighting. So do I. It's part of who we are, not just a hobby."

"It's nice to hear someone say that."

"I'm just telling you the truth. If we do try this and it works, I want you to know I'm not going to take that away from you. I'll miss you like crazy but it isn't my place to stop you."

There was suddenly weight on my shoulder and I realized Goku was leaning on me, trying to hide his face. I carefully wrapped an arm around his back as far as I could reach and he nestled closer to my neck, filling my nose with the pine tree scent his hair always carried. Neither of us needed to say anything, which was another thing I liked about Goku. He didn't wear his heart on his sleeve. Everything was private. If he told you anything or showed weakness, it was a sign of ultimate trust.

Darkness soon fell and everyone was preparing to leave, leaving only me, Chi-Chi, and Piccolo behind. No one else could know where we were going. As I gently roused Goku and began to get up from the table, he pulled me into his arms, locking me in a tight embrace. After he released me, we kissed passionately and tried to forget about all the horrors we would soon have to face. We unwillingly broke apart and rose from our table to meet everyone by the edge of the Lookout. I hoped they would all return safely in the morning without harming anyone.

We all said our farewells and they all joined hands for Goku to return them to Earth. Our eyes met as he placed his fingers to his forehead. I smiled as they disappeared.

Piccolo spoke briefly with Dende about hiding with Mr. Popo then scooped up Chi-Chi like a ragdoll and led us back down into the atmosphere. I shivered in the cold as we flew, passing by a flock on tired birds coming back up north for the summer. Soon I'd be trapped for 12 more hours, hidden away with Chi-Chi while Goku and Gohan tried their best not to hunt us down. I had to take a few showers beforehand to help hide my scent and Piccolo showed me how to hide my energy signature.

We landed outside the Son house and thanked Piccolo for his help. He just scowled a bit and flew off, probably going to Kami's Lookout to hide with Dende and Mr. Popo. Chi-Chi rolled her eyes as we walked inside the house, telling me about how Piccolo still refused to acknowledge the fact that he was a good guy, not evil like his father had been. Once inside, she locked the door and gathered some snacks for us for the long night ahead. I headed upstairs for my third shower of the day.

Soon everything was prepared and Chi-Chi and I retired to Goku's old hiding spot, where she had concealed me so many months ago. After the trap door was shut and locked she turned on a lamp, keeping us from complete darkness. I lay down in bed to stare at the ceiling while Chi-Chi began knitting what appeared to be a red scarf. Maybe later she could show me how it was done. I didn't know how to do a lot of girly things like that since my father was mostly interested in fighting.

It was around midnight when I began to feel strange.

A crawling sensation startled me from my nap and I sat up ramrod straight, trying in vain to rub the it away. Chi-Chi looked up from her knitting and set it down to see what was wrong, pushing up my pants leg and examining my skin. The feeling crept upwards, spreading out through my body like spiders were creeping around inside me, taking bites here and there while I desperately scratched at them. Soon it vanished as quickly as it had come and I shakily lay back down in bed, utterly terrified by what had just happened to me.

"Do you need a doctor?" Chi-Chi asked, gently feeling my forehead. "You're really hot."

"Must have eaten something bad at dinner." I was panting, unable to catch my breath. It felt like my insides were burning. "I'll be fine. All I need is more damn bed rest."

"You look really pale. We should probably get Piccolo and bring you to the hospital. I don't want to risk you getting sicker—"

Suddenly, I had to get up. I flew off the bed and felt a painful stinging near my tailbone, promptly followed by something erupting out of my body. All I heard was Chi-Chi scream; I was on the edge of unconsciousness, barely managing to stay awake through the torrents of agony. My body felt hot and rage swelled within me that seemed to have no end. The moon. All I could think about was the moon. And fighting. Tearing someone limb from limb. Watching them beg for mercy.

There was more sharp pain near the base of my spine and I whirled around to see Chi-Chi holding something furry and brown in her hand. She was staring at me in terror as she threw the wriggling specimen on the floor—a tail. Had that come from me?

Chi-Chi said something about remaining calm, but I was in no mood to be calm. Incredible energy flowed through my body and I ignored Piccolo's warning that I had to hide my energy signature. I was invincible. My insides were burning up but I didn't care. I wanted to fight something; to tear it apart. As I tried to figure out how to free myself from the prison Chi-Chi and I were trapped in, I heard furious banging on the door from outside. I clawed desperately at the hatch until someone finally tore it open.

A pair of empty black eyes stared down at me from above.

"Videl, no!" Chi-Chi shrieked.

Goku's eyes widened a bit when he heard Chi-Chi's voice and he easily shoved me aside to drop into the small space. A grin spread across his face, showing off the pointed teeth I had grown to hate. He grabbed her by the arms and pushed her up against the wall, completely ignoring me practically itching for a fight behind him. I grabbed the lamp Chi-Chi had brought down and threw it at his head, hoping it would distract him long enough for me to draw him away from the hiding place. When he turned to face me, I bared my teeth. His eyes fell upon the now limp tail on the floor.

"I thought I smelled another Saiyan," Goku said. "It's too bad Chi-Chi knows about our tails. You were so close to becoming an Oozaru and destroying this house." He dropped her on the bed and examined me from head to toe. "But that doesn't matter. Now that I've found you, you're mine. I don't know who finally made my wish but I have to remember to thank them tomorrow."

"I'm not one of you," I said.

"Yes you are. I can tell. Vegeta and Gohan will be here soon. You can't fight all of us at once."

"Why are you all looking to fight me? I thought you weren't on good terms with Vegeta and Gohan was safely locked away."

Goku took a step toward me, noticeably trembling. "They want you, too. It's the pull of the moon. Don't you feel it? It's calling you outside, telling you to let yourself go. Your tail has been pulled off so you can't fight it any better than we can. Just wait. Soon it will settle in."

It was true, I had felt an insane urge to go outside and behold the moon when I first transformed. But when Chi-Chi yanked off my tail, it all vanished in an instant. The urge to fight was still there and I was secretly hoping I would get the chance to battle all three Saiyans. Yet I could ignore it without too much effort. That wasn't how it was for most of them, especially with the blue moon this month. There was energy going through me I needed to purge before I exploded.

I turned and darted out of the hatch and blew clean through Chi-Chi's roof without any effort. It didn't even hurt, though I did have to dust some concrete off my shirt. Goku followed soon after, still grinning wickedly and watching me with intense interest. Someone had made the wish and whether I liked it or not, I was a Saiyan. A superhuman. I didn't understand what everyone was so worried about. I felt amazing. The moon wasn't even bothering me in the least. Maybe this was a blessing.

Two more figures descended from above. The sight of Gohan and Vegeta made me more irritated than afraid now: I felt concerned they might fight Goku before I could. They were both covered in blood and their eyes were pitch black like Goku's, staring hungrily at me hovering in the sky before them. I cracked my knuckles and couldn't help but smile. Now I really was the most powerful woman on Earth. Technically I counted as a Saiyan, but that was easy enough to hide. No one could stand against me.

"You need Bulma," Vegeta said, folding his arms. "You're going to be crushed by the Saiyan blood if you don't let her stabilize the transformation. You will die, regardless of how you feel. Isn't that right, Kakarot? Tell your woman to behave and do what she's told."

"I'm not going anywhere," I snapped.

"We can play with her for a bit." Gohan looked like he could scarcely contain himself. He glanced between his father and Vegeta, looking hopeful.

"No. She's mine. After I'm through with her we can bring her to Bulma. But she is mine." Goku looked at his two followers, unblinking and serious. "She'll be fine with me until then."

Without thinking, I flew at Goku and threw a well-aimed punch into his stomach, actually making him double over in pain. The other two were on me in seconds and easily pulled me off him, each one holding one arm. I flailed desperately as Goku recovered, flinching from my attack and trying to catch his breath. He exhaled heavily and rubbed the back of his head, grinning to show off his abnormally long teeth. Even as a Saiyan I still felt a cold chill down my spine at the sight of them. Now that I was one of them, he could bite the back of my neck…

"What happened to all of you fighting?" I asked, hoping it would take the pressure off me. "Did you all band together to catch me for some specific reason? Who made me transform?"

"None of us," Gohan said. "Come to think of it, I have no clue who it could have been. Who cares? Now you can come out with us when the full moon rises. Isn't it great? I've already killed a few people, but I'm looking for more if you want to come with me. After you and father are through, of course."

"Kakarot and I will still be fighting in the morning. And when I'm through pummeling him, I'll take his woman for extra measure." Vegeta sneered at Goku and shoved me toward him. "Bring her before morning to Capsule Corp. or you're both going to be dead. Bulma will be pleased to know someone did her dirty work for her."

The two of them left and I was floating in the sky with Goku, struggling to get out of his arms. He placed two fingers to his forehead and we vanished.


	21. Wish I Was The Moon

**A/N:** Yaaaay new chapter! I'm considering doing a Goku/OC story alongside this one. What do you guys think?

**Warnings**: Mild lemon ahead.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**21: Wish I Was The Moon **

We appeared in front of Goku's little house and I quickly broke free, spinning around on my heel to knee him in the stomach. He didn't react very much but it gave me just a split second to run off into the woods. It felt like I could run forever and I had no desire to stop. The branches that normally tripped me broke apart under my feet, no longer hindering me in fleeing from my enemies. I was incredibly fast and powerful; a perfect warrior on a planet filled with weak, pitiful humans. They were nothing. I could rule them. They would all worship me as a god.

Now I knew what people meant when they said you could become drunk with power. I was practically high on it and I never wanted to come down. Soon I sensed someone running behind me so I leapt into a nearby tree and shrank back, waiting for them to pass.

Goku came to a dead halt in front of my tree, gazing up at me hidden behind the leaves. His black eyes easily searched me out and he smiled. "You're quick, I'll give you that. But soon you'll get tired. The power is overwhelming and your body can't keep up with it. And when you're tired, I'll bring you back home so we can… enjoy one another's company. Then you'll be ready to see Bulma."

"That's never gonna happen," I said. "I'm not doing anything with you while you're like this."

"Why not? We're equals now. I'm not going to hurt you one bit. But if you like the chase then I don't mind playing with you for a while. Just don't drag it for too long or you'll die." He licked his lips. "I want you at least once in case that happens."

My heart hammered with excitement and I easily leapt to the next tree, building up speed until the leaves became a blur of green past my face. The canopy opened up to expose the second full moon of the month and I jumped towards it, only to be knocked carelessly to the side. My new reflexes couldn't save me from a tumble through the branches that ultimately ended with me sprawled out in a clearing. Goku stood patiently aside while I sat up, gripping my head and wincing. He wasn't playing.

I growled a bit when he stepped towards me. "Watch it."

"Why? You're still weaker than me. I'll admit, that first punch was good, but now I know what to expect from you." Goku suddenly had me pinned down to the ground by my throat. "Dirty tricks. Anyway, I haven't quite had my fill tonight so if you'd kindly cooperate, this will all be much easier for both of us. You can go to Bulma, have some injections and everything will be A-Okay."

"I'll just wish myself back into a human when the Dragon Balls aren't inert. How long do I wait? A year?"

"You can't reverse another person's wish. I guess you could still use the Namekian Dragon Balls but you have no way to leave Earth so that won't be happening any time soon."

Goku used his transportation trick (I needed to get the name of the damn thing) and we were back at his house, now inside his bedroom. When I dashed to the door it was already securely locked, along with the window. It made no sense. Hadn't he used it as his safe house for the full moon? He must have gotten home in time to make all the preparation before the full moon rose. The only other explanation meant he deliberately stayed outside—but why?

We scuffled for a few minutes after, slamming one another into the walls until the drywall underneath was exposed. Goku loved every second of it and I couldn't say it bothered me too much. It was kind of fun, like we were toying with one another instead of actually fighting for control. I knew what the consequences would be if I gave up and I wasn't quite ready to accept them. Not when Goku was possessed by whatever creature lurked in his heart. For all I knew, he wouldn't even remember the next morning and our time together would be a figment of his imagination.

Soon I was pinned by the wrists on Goku's bed, glaring stubbornly into his empty eyes. He used his weight to hold down the rest of my body but it didn't work as well as it used to. My own body was strong and I was still able to move beneath him, just enough to firmly hold his sides with my thighs. We stared at each other for a few long moments, neither one blinking or breathing. I wasn't tiring nearly as fast as I used to. Fending Goku off was a bit of a pain but nothing I couldn't handle.

"This was so much easier when you were a human," Goku said.

"I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that I'm not." I wrapped my legs around his waist and threw my weight into him so we flipped over with me straddling his hips. "But I'm acclimating quickly."

Goku looked annoyed I had used a word he didn't understand. Normally his irritated facial expression would have terrified me when he was already on the edge, but it didn't anymore. Like he said, we were equals. There was no need for me to run and hide when the full moon came out; no more sitting up in bed, jumping every time the window rattled. If I didn't want them to do something I could easily defend myself and the people around me. But I was having fun wrestling with Goku, occasionally getting him to tell me something I needed to know.

He turned me on my stomach and licked the base of my neck. "What do you think? Should I mark you?"

"No." My spine tingled uncomfortably at the thought of his teeth tearing my neck apart again. "Don't you have somewhere to be? I'm sure Bulma is worried about you."

"I don't really want to see her. I'd rather stay here but if you might die I guess we should go." He nibbled gently on my skin, growling impatiently. "I'll have to wait for a while to mark you. It takes a while and you won't be able to move for a few days. Too bad. I was really looking forward to it. Fortunately, we do have time for everything else I was planning."

A second later I was on my back again, staring into Goku's cold black eyes. He kissed me roughly; it would have made my lips bleed if I was still human. His mouth tasted different now that my senses had improved. It was more appealing somehow and I eagerly kissed him back, ignoring the tiny voice in my head telling me not to. His fingers tangled in my hair and he tugged back to expose my neck. I felt powerless against my desire for him—it was a foreign feeling that I wasn't particularly fond of.

The clothes started coming off a few minutes after as the moon gradually descended in the sky. I already knew Goku had a perfect body but I could enjoy it even more now with my improved senses. My fingers traveled down his abdomen, tracing the outlines of his muscles and he closed his eyes. Soon my clothes joined his on the floor and I could feel every hot inch of his body against mine. The black receded from Goku's eyes back to his pupils and he stroked my cheek, finally returning to normal. The sun would be coming up soon, which meant Gohan would be regaining his sanity.

"We should probably get you to Bulma," he said, teasingly close to being inside me.

"I'm fine. There's no way we're leaving right now, anyway."

"Everything's gonna be different, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah." I squirmed underneath him, growing impatient. "I'm a Saiyan now and we're sort of… together, right?"

"Of course. I'm glad you're not so breakable now. I guess all that practicing I did was for nothing." He shrugged and smiled down at me. "Oh well! Now we can be happy."

I gripped his arms when he began gently pushing inside me to catch his attention enough that he would stop. "I thought you did that on your own. You didn't tell me you were doing it so you could try to sleep with me. I wouldn't want you to hurt other people, especially women. That's wrong."

"It wasn't that many and I gave them senzu beans most times. I just wanted to make sure I didn't hurt you in case we ever—"

"So you've been planning on getting in my pants since the moment we met."

My emotions burned white-hot now; it was hard to keep myself from spiraling out of control. Even the slightest feeling could send me in a tail spin. I knew I was being irrational but I couldn't help myself. Being angry gave me power over Goku. He couldn't stand it when people were mad at him. I tried to wriggle from underneath him and he pinned down my wrists, looking seriously upset. Annoyed, I struggled under his unyielding grasp until he abruptly pushed himself inside me, silencing my protests and making me go limp.

"You know that's not true," Goku said. "Relax. I know it feels like you can't sort out your feelings, but you'll get used to it. Promise."

It was hard to keep my thoughts straight. The pain had been intense and quick, not what I was expecting. I felt full. Not uncomfortably so but it was something I definitely needed to get used to. Goku caught my mystified expression and smirked, clearly proud of his little trick. He moved slowly, pulling on the bed sheets desperately to keep himself from pushing into me too hard. I quickly figured out how to move the way he wanted and was stopped more than once. Apparently I was doing _too _well.

Goku groaned like he was in agony. "Kami, Videl. Stop doing that."

"No," I said, wrapping my legs around his waist.

"I'm warning you, I can't keep up like this for very long."

"No one said you had to."

That was all the confirmation Goku needed. We finished at about the same time and after the fact, I wondered if we should have used a condom. It didn't seem like he would even know what they were so I shrugged it off and lay beside him when he unwillingly rolled off me. His chest was heaving and beads of sweat traveled over the lines of his muscles. A smug smile passed over my face when he kissed my forehead, exhaling loudly. I had made him that exhausted. Not bad for a Saiyan fresh out of the box.

Goku swallowed hard, making his Adam's apple bob. "I've never been unable to breathe after sex."

"Sorry." I wasn't sorry. I was damn proud of myself.

"I'm not mad about it, just… surprised. I think you're gonna give me a run for my money." He laughed and began idly twirling my hair on one of his fingers. "I'm glad, though. We can tell everyone when things settle down so Bulma won't see you as a target. What happens after is up to you. I mean we can live out here if you want or make a new house someplace else. I just don't like the city."

The conversation was going fine up to that point. Moving in with Goku was the last thing on my mind but apparently at the forefront of his. He was used to women attaching to him quickly: he and Chi-Chi didn't even date and things became serious fast. Soon enough they were married and she was pregnant with Gohan. I was fresh out of high school and more interested in pursuing my career as a martial artist rather than finding someplace to cook for Goku every day. But I brushed it off as unimportant for the time being. There would be plenty of time to talk about living together.

When I failed to reply, Goku shifted on his side to face me and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just kind of tired. We can talk about all that stuff another time, ok?"

"I know. I don't even know why I'm worried. I mean, you're one of us now so you wouldn't go back to the city anyway. You're all mine now, forever and ever." He kissed my forehead, now holding my arm a bit too tightly. "Right, Videl? We can get your stuff tonight if you want."

"We have more important things to worry about," I said, getting a tingle down my spine. "I could drop dead without that serum from Bulma and she has an army in the works. Our relationship can wait until all of this is settled, like you said."

"But you're mine now, right?" he asked anxiously.

"Sure, all yours. Now let's go to Capsule Corp so I can keep that promise."

The cheery nature I had grown to love came back and Goku leapt out of bed to pull his clothes back on, unashamed of his nakedness. His paranoia seemed to be a thing of the past and I got dressed myself while he rambled about returning Bulma to her senses. Maybe he was excited about me becoming a Saiyan and didn't know how to deal with the new emotions. Sometimes he was overstimulated by those kinds of things. We were ready a few minutes later and he kissed me passionately one more time before placing his fingertips to his forehead.

"Now we can have kids!" Goku said brightly.

My jaw dropped just as we vanished.


	22. Marked

**A/N:** Holy poopie. ._. Long chapter ahead.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**22: Marked**

Luckily we were teleported in the woods, giving me time to gawk openly at Goku's assumption that we would be having kids. I wasn't totally against it in the future but he was thinking ahead too quickly. Most kids kind of annoyed me, anyway. I had a short temper and barely any patience to deal with arguments and crying and feeding and diapers. Goku realized he had said something wrong once again and awkwardly drew back, rubbing his head sheepishly. Social norms were foreign to him, no doubt a result of living in the wilderness for so long.

I cleared my throat and started walking in the direction we were facing. "I'm not having any kids any time soon. I don't know where you're getting all of this from. We get along very well and like each other a lot but that doesn't mean we're married or I'm gonna start popping out babies. Take things as they come instead of trying to make everything happen at once."

"Chi-Chi and I were together the day I met her," Goku said. His tone sounded more persuading than apologetic. "We were happy for a long time. I'll go crazy if I don't know where you are. You can still get hurt or kidnapped or worse." He wrung his hands nervously as he walked. "Gohan and Vegeta will be paying more attention to you, too. I just want to make sure you're safe and that's easier to do if we're together a lot. It drove me crazy being away from Chi-Chi when I died."

"Relax. I can take care of myself. You're worrying too much about things that don't matter. Believe it or not, your son is a decent kid and I'm pretty sure Vegeta is gonna back off now. You're more concerned about me now than you were when I was a human."

Goku scratched his head, looking thoughtful. "You're right. I guess it's just another Saiyan thing. Oh well, at least it won't last too long. I'm sure I'll feel much better when I mark you and get it out of my system. Then I'll know you're mine and so will everyone else. Can we do it tonight? I think everything will be solved with Bulma by then so we should have time. You can stay at my house if you want."

"Maybe. Let's focus on the task at hand and worry about that later. Okay? I can't be having you losing your focus during a fight or standoff or whatever."

When he happily agreed I hope the conversation was put to rest for a while. We emerged from the woods in front of Capsule Corp, which was being guarded by the two remaining false Saiyans. They visibly stiffened upon seeing Goku but their eyes traveled to me, drinking in my improved appearance. My eyes had changed color to a deep black instead of light blue and my muscles grew a bit more defined. I wasn't as sculpted as Goku or Gohan but I had definitely changed.

Letux rose to his feet and blocked the doorway. "Bulma isn't happy with you. You murdered Pota."

"It was self-defense," Goku said firmly.

The Saiyan sneered and turned his attention to me, once again staring at me a bit too long for comfort. "So this is the female everyone has gone to so much trouble for? She doesn't look very impressive. Far too small to carry Saiyan offspring. I bet she would die during the pregnancy."

"Don't even think about it." Goku took a step forward, suddenly looking malevolent. "I'll snap your neck if you lay a finger on her just like I did to Pota."

"I'd rather lay with a real woman," Letux said.

"You can't lie to me. It's written in your eyes and I'd like to erase it. Videl belongs to me and no one else. Communicate that message to your friends if you wish for them to stay alive."

To my surprise, Goku roughly shoved Letux aside and entered Capsule Corp, pulling me along behind him. Just before the door closed I stuck my tongue out at Letux, making him clench his fists angrily.

"Are you okay?" I asked Goku quietly as we walked toward the lab.

"Who? Me? Of course I'm okay!"

He smiled brightly and was back to his old self, happy as a clam for absolutely no reason. He should have been angry but emotions were intense and short for Saiyans. I was learning that the hard way. It made it easier to empathize with him, though. Now I knew why he had such a hard time sticking with one particular feeling and why he bounced back and forth between being intimidating and the nicest man I had ever met. Acting human was going to be really hard.

We arrived outside the laboratory and Goku maneuvered me behind him protectively, much to my chagrin. I followed him through the swinging double doors into a huge room, full of human-sized test tubes and hundreds of blinking lights. My new senses were a bit overwhelmed by the flashing colors; I had to rub my eyes a few times to keep from panicking. Our footsteps echoed throughout the silent lab, alerting whoever was there to our presence. I felt no fear, which was a welcome relief. My blood boiled at the thought of finding Bulma and snapping her pretty little neck.

A high-backed chair was placed before a huge embalming chamber that was filled to the brim with a thick greenish liquid. It took a few seconds for me to sense energy coming from behind the chamber. It felt immensely powerful and I lightly tapped Goku's hand with my own to alert him. He nodded tersely as the black chair spun around to reveal the mastermind behind everything that had happened to me in the past year. My skin crawled as I thought of all the awful things she had put Goku through for her own selfish gain. Some friend.

Bulma had her fingers neatly folded together in front of her face but it didn't hide the cruel grin underneath. Her blue hair had been cut shorter and glasses hung on a chain from her neck. Her eyes flickered between Goku and me, reading our body language for weakness. I noticed Vegeta stir behind the chamber, eyes trained directly on my own. They were the perfect evil couple.

"I hear you want my help," Bulma said.

Goku didn't show any emotion. "Trust me, it's a necessity. Someone turned Videl into a Saiyan and her… uh… stuff is unstable. Make her right and we'll give you something in return."

"Oh, it must have been the boys. You know how kids are. So curious and innocent." Her eyes roamed to Goku and settled on him for a second before moving back to me. "If I stabilize your DNA then you need give me something very important in return. I can make it as painless as possible for you. Vegeta and I just need five or so of your eggs to use to make our own little Saiyan group. You see, Vegeta misses his people dearly and it would mean so much to him to become a ruler again."

"I'd rather die," I said.

"She's kind of aggressive right now. Not quite used to the new body and all, you know? I'm still not comfortable in my own skin sometimes." Goku laughed and gave me a dirty look.

"No, I'd rather die than help you reestablish a race that single-handedly destroyed countless civilizations. Goku and I are different. I don't know why I have such good control but I will never hurt other people for my own personal gain and neither will he. If my body can't transform properly then so be it. I'm not rolling over and donating my DNA for your horrible experiments. You really hurt poor Chi-Chi and now she can barely keep her own feelings in check."

A scowl settled on Bulma's face and Vegeta was there in an instant, placing a hand on her shoulder. She visibly relaxed and put on a fresh fake smile. "Chi-Chi knew the consequences and she was willing to accept them in the chance she could make Goku happy. That was in no way, shape or form my fault. It will be the same if you choose to ignore our deal. If you die, it's only your fault."

"You didn't go to all this trouble to let it slip through your fingers at the last second," I said. "You're not going to let me die, regardless of what I choose. I'm worth more to you alive and unwilling than I am dead. No other woman on Earth can make it as far as I have. If they could or you had any other option, you would have stopped harassing me months ago. Your husband is the same way. He isn't going to give up his opportunity to become the ruler of Saiyans again."

Vegeta growled and took a menacing step towards me but Goku was already there, snarling a bit in response. Bulma noticed him touching my arm and raised an eyebrow. Did we not make it obvious we were attracted to one another? Chi-Chi wasn't that shocked when she found out about us and I had a feeling Gohan already knew as well. I tugged Goku back and he kept his eyes focused on Vegeta, never wavering his gaze to check up on Bulma.

"I didn't know you two were… involved," she said. "Goku's always been selfish. He doesn't like to share very much, even if it's as simple as an egg."

"Videl is mine." Goku ripped his eyes off Vegeta and pulled me closer like I might disappear. "There must be some other way we can work this out. I can try to find another woman somewhere—"

"There is no other," Vegeta hissed, "which is why we've spent so much time with this fool. We're not asking you for the world, Kakarot. We'll rebuild Vegeta with the Namekian Dragon Balls and you'll never hear from us again. Your woman needs to do as she's told before she gets hurt."

"Say that again and I'll rip out your tongue!"

When I lunged toward Vegeta, Goku quickly caught me and easily twisted my arms behind my back, rendering me immobile. I was starting to lose my patience with the entire situation: why couldn't they save my life and be done with it? There was no middle ground in our deal so it would never happen. I wouldn't lend any part of my body to them for their machinations. The Saiyans were an evil race. It was a good thing Frieza wiped them out years ago.

It kept slipping my mind that I was one of those insane killing machines.

Bulma leaned back in her chair, tapping her long nails on an armrest. "Your bloodlust will grow with time until you can't control yourself anymore. My serum would suppress that but if you aren't willing to cooperate, I guess you're going to meet a slow, painful death. Goku won't let you rampage around for too long. He likes to play the role of the savior so you'll be taken care of within an hour."

"We've been over this," I said, struggling in Goku's vice grip. "You're not going to let me die. You can't use dead tissue so you have to keep me alive. And I'm not so sure this 'serum' exists. I've been feeling fine since the transformation, too. This could be an elaborate scheme."

"Tell you what. I'll give you the serum right now if you do one teensy, tiny thing for me in return. As leverage." Bulma rubbed the back of her neck and smiled. "My mark has disappeared again so I think it would be fair to have Vegeta mark you so I can track your movements. You can mull over whether or not you want to donate a few eggs to me and if you decide not to… well, I know where you are. Then I at least have the comfort of knowing you're still alive and useful to me."

"No," Goku said flatly.

"Double no," I said.

"Oh, don't be so difficult. You must be feeling what they feel. The whirlwind of emotions, the urge to fight, the desire to dominate. These are going to be your constant companions unless you let me help you, Videl. Like it or not, immense power has been put in your frail human body. You could tolerate the initial transformation but after that, who knows? You're burning up thousands of calories a minute and your body can't keep up with it. You'll get a fever soon I'm guessing. Then you'll fall asleep and never wake again. But if you're okay with that fate…"

I drew myself up, proud and tall. Now that she mentioned it, my body was becoming insanely hot. And I was so hungry I thought my stomach was digesting itself. "No is my final answer."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Like you ever had a choice. Vegeta, the serum."

Vegeta was on me in a flash, obeying his wife's commands like a well-trained dog. He pinned me to the floor and yanked the cap off a huge needle with his mouth, grinning widely when Goku instantly shrank back in fear. I screamed when he stabbed me in the thigh and pushed the thick, green substance deep into my tissue almost straight to the bone. My mind reeled in terror—was this was they had been planning all along? He ripped the needle out of my flesh and tossed it aside as Goku recovered and rushed toward us, trying to ignore his fear.

The two remaining false Saiyans appeared from seemingly nowhere to attack him, giving Vegeta enough time to flip me on my stomach. I shrieked and flailed my legs but I did nothing. He wasn't afraid to hurt me so he didn't bother relaxing his grip. He snatched a fistful of my hair and yanked it aside to expose the back of my neck. It was then that I realized no matter how strong I became, I would always meet people who were stronger than me. The cycle would never end.

As I felt Vegeta's hot breath on my skin there was a loud crash followed by Goku yelling something about me. I squeezed my eyes shut when teeth touched the back of my neck but Vegeta was suddenly off me, tossed to the opposite end of the lab. Someone hoisted me to my feet and I was relieved to see Gohan there with a big smile on his face. He dusted me off while his father handled the brutes a few feet away, laughing at their vain attempts to kill him. The lab was starting to fall apart.

Gohan was suddenly knocked over and flew into the wall with Vegeta, who had already recovered from being tossed like a ragdoll. I immediately darted over to help him but I was too late. Vegeta quickly knocked him unconscious and turned around to face me again, baring his teeth hungrily. It was obvious that I was no match for someone like him so I turned tail and tried to use my speed to avoid being pinned down again. We leapt about the lab, skirting the fight between Goku and the false Saiyans in the process. Gohan was out cold in the corner, already down and out.

The Saiyan prince and I collided again on the floor, rolling around for a few minutes and snapping at each other's faces with steadily growing teeth. My body was craving to _bite, _to feel flesh tearing inside my mouth. Vegeta pinned me on my stomach again and panted heavily as he prepared to mark me. I was in frenzied panic at the thought of being bonded to him in that way, even if it meant my life would be saved. He roughly moved my hair once again and laughed cruelly…

All I saw was a flash of light that blasted Vegeta off me. But I wasn't helped up this time. My savior kept me pushed down to the floor and muttered an apology before violently sinking his teeth into the back of my neck. It felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head from the force of my scream. His hands held down my wrists with minimal effort as he tore my flesh, sealing my fate. Blood ran down my throat and I heard Bulma scream furiously from across the room as the marking process wore on. It had to be Goku. His son was unconscious and Vegeta had been foiled once again.

Soon it was over. The man panted and turned me on my back, carefully cradling me in his arms. Through my half-lidded eyes I could see Gohan's horrified face was splattered with blood—my blood. It was smeared across his mouth and droplets rained down on my chest. He looked revolted and I trembled intensely in his arms, barely managing to keep myself from passing out. Vegeta howled angrily some distance away and I stared into Gohan's eyes as blackness finally enveloped me.


	23. Cold, Grey Light Of Dawn

**A/N:** This chapter ended up kinda spiraling out of control. I kept wanting to end it but then I'd come up with a good idea and decide to keep going. So it cuts off a bit at the end. Sorry I've been slacking on replying to reviews but I've been up so late writing these that I'm frankly too lazy to go back and respond. D: Especially after writing a chapter like this!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Lethal**

**23: Cold, Grey Light Of Dawn**

The next few days of my new life were spent hovering in the embalming chamber, curled up tightly like a fetus waiting to be birthed. Occasionally I could pierce the thick veil of unconsciousness to look around and drink in my surroundings, but the breathing tubes affixed to my face wouldn't let me say anything. I'd wake up to see Goku arguing fiercely with Vegeta or Gohan staring blankly at me inside the tube with his nose pressed to the glass. Things hadn't gone as planned and they were trying to figure out an alternate route to get what they wanted out of me. When I came to, I had to make a decision.

Power surged through me at first, threatening to drag me under with it. The serum did what it was supposed to and reined it in enough that my human body could cope with it, hopefully for the long run. My temperature decreased and I lost some of the strength I had gained but I didn't mind. I was fine with sacrificing some of the enormous energy the transformation gave me in exchange for my life. I felt incredibly alive and could control my emotions once more. Bulma had more or less made me a Saiyan that lacked many of their negative qualities, including the inborn desire to destroy.

Soon I was ready to rejoin my friends and foes. The thick fluid drained away from my face first so I could remove the breathing mask and quickly freed the rest of my body, leaving me shuddering in the cold. The doors opened and everyone was gathered outside to see the new me with wide, curious eyes. Goku wrapped me in a soft blanket the moment my toes touched the icy laboratory floor and he helped me move a few wobbly steps away from the chamber to greet everyone. My senses extended out, feeling the fragile strength beneath my skin, and I noticed my tail had grown back.

"How are you feeling?" Chi-Chi asked.

I wasn't quite sure yet. My tail twitched upon command and I stretched to ease the aching in my joints, happy to feel much better than I had the night I transformed. I splayed out my hands and noticed my nails had grown longer and narrow like talons, which would be great during combat. It was easy for me to pick out the strongest people in the room by feeling their power levels—Goku's intense strength almost made everyone else fade into nothing. But one energy source appealed to me in particular and the back of my neck stung painfully upon thinking of it.

"Kakarot's son marked you," Vegeta sneered, standing beside his wife. "He's a wretched half-breed so it will only last a month at best."

"Don't talk about my son that way," Chi-Chi said.

"It's okay, mom. I'm used to Vegeta being rude by now."

An excited shiver ran down my spine at the sound of Gohan's voice and I eagerly turned from Goku to see his son, who was sitting in a chair by the edge of the crowd. Reason escaped me and I lunged for him, unable to ignore the growing heat in my belly. Goku caught and restrained me but I twisted desperately in his grasp and whimpered to Gohan when his father refused to let go. I wanted him so badly it was causing me physical pain. Piccolo clapped a hand on Gohan's shoulder when he growled a bit and started to get up. He must have felt the same burning desire I did.

Goku held me flush against his chest. "There's nothing we can do until the mark fades. Like Vegeta said, it shouldn't take too long. I'll keep Videl with me until then and hopefully her separation from Gohan will weaken their connection. After that we can decide how Videl can return the favor, Bulma."

"We'll be watching very closely," Bulma murmured.

A strangled cry left my lips when Goku hauled me away from his son and walked me out of the lab. I writhed, trying to see Gohan one last time but my captor wasn't having it. He dragged me toward the door while Piccolo steered Gohan firmly in the opposite direction, probably intending on keeping us apart until my mark was gone. The thought of not seeing him for so long was enough to drive me insane. I coiled my tail up tight as a spring and released so it socked Goku in the stomach, making him release me and double over in pain. Before I walked ten feet, the entire group moved to stand in my path.

Vegeta was already preparing a ball of energy to blast me with and even Chi-Chi stood in a fighting stance, ready to keep me away from her son. Krillin and 18 had deep scowls set in their faces and Piccolo looked positively murderous as he held a struggling Gohan. My chest heaved; my eyes were wide and hungry, crazed with lust. My nails curled up until they stabbed through the palms of my hands and made me bleed all over the floor. I swished my tail impatiently. All that mattered was getting all of them the hell out of my way so I could have Gohan back.

"Get out of my way," I snarled.

"You're not yourself, Videl. Soon your blood will settle and you won't feel as attached to him." Piccolo jerked Gohan upright, looking a bit disgusted. "Both of you need to relax and try to think rationally. Goku already explained what occurred between the two of you—"

"Give him to me!" I demanded.

"Please," Gohan said, "I've never wanted anyone so badly in my life. Let me go."

"You've already made that glaringly obvious, fool," said Vegeta. "The effect of a mark is largely dependent on how the man feels about the woman in question. Kakarot's son lusts intensely after this female and his mark makes her exhibit the same behavior. She would have been much better off bearing my mark. I don't find her remotely appealing. It would have remained a mild nuisance."

Goku's energy rose dangerously behind me as he recovered from my attack. "Nothing will happen between the two of them. Trust me."

"Of course not. We're not spoiling a perfectly good female with diluted offspring." Vegeta crossed his arms and scowled at Gohan. "Especially with that fool."

Gohan suddenly broke free of Piccolo's grasp and ran to me, easily knocking over whoever stood in his path. His father was there in a heartbeat to grab him by the collar of his shirt and hoist him into the air, keeping him far away from me. I was so frustrated I could've cried. Goku tossed his son back towards Piccolo and scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I thrashed and screamed for Gohan to help me as Goku placed two fingers to his forehead.

The wanting became even worse when we appeared outside of Goku's home. He ignored my furious protests and brought me upstairs to his bedroom, where he dropped me unceremoniously on the bed and drew the steel shades to keep me from looking out the window. He shut and locked the door before I could get up and stood against it with his big arms folded over his chest. My skin was crawling with need; if I didn't get to Gohan fast I thought I'd die. Was that how he always felt? If it was, I felt even worse for the kid than I did before.

"I want to go home," I said.

"No. You're staying here from now on. As soon as your mark fades I'm taking you so we don't have to go through this again. If you're at home then I can't keep an eye on you."

"You can't keep me here for a month. That's kidnapping."

"Luckily you have a tail, which means you won't lose your mind when there's a full moon like we do. As long as you don't look at it or go near any moonlight you'll be fine. I was worried you'd be out by yourself and I wouldn't be able to make sure you weren't doing anything dangerous. Don't forget, you promised we would be—"

"I WANT GOHAN. NOW."

The outburst surprised Goku, who blinked a few times in shock. I wandered around the room looking for signs of weakness or any other way I could escape and slake the intense lust eating me alive inside. No one had shown me how to utilize energy as a weapon properly so I couldn't blast a whole through the wall. My tail swung fretfully around and the hairs stood on end, putting my painful emotions on display. The mark on the back of my neck grew hotter the longer I was in Goku's room. Gohan was calling.

I gave up when sunlight stopped slanting through the cracks in the window and chose to sob on Goku's bed instead for the rest of the night. He finally moved from the door and lay down beside me, examining the mark on the back of my neck. Thankfully it was impossible to be marked twice. Goku's scent made me a bit nauseous but when I tried to move away he gripped my arm and pulled me back. I let my power level rise as high as it could go as a beacon to Gohan, hoping he would find me and tear the house apart to set me free from my prison.

Goku locked his arms around my waist to keep me in place. "Geez, this is ridiculous. I figured it would get Vegeta off our backs for a while but I'm having second thoughts."

"I feel like I can't breathe," I said.

"You'll get over it in a few more hours. Gohan will, too. As long as you two stay apart and he doesn't touch your mark, everything will be fine." He nuzzled closer, tickling me with his thick hair. "Still, I'm kind of happy this happened. Now we can be together all the time without worrying about anyone or anything else. Bulma and Vegeta are waiting until your mark vanishes to do anything else and I pummeled those false Saiyans real good."

"I'm going to die without him."

"Then we can train together and no one will want to threaten Earth again."

"Goku, let go! I need to see him!"

My captor suddenly rolled on top of me, baring his teeth and holding me down by the throat. I whined irately and puckered my lower lip, hoping he would feel bad and let me go. But Goku was much too possessive to do that—he squeezed my neck tighter and placed his index finger to my lips. The mark was tingling; I hoped it meant Gohan was coming soon. Goku rested his forehead on mine as he strangled me with one hand and sighed heavily, gazing into my eyes with his glittering black irises.

"Videl, I need you to calm down," he said. "Think about something else."

The downright painful desire I was feeling became so unbearable I nodded quickly and pretended to relax enough that Goku freed my neck. He smiled and lay beside me again, wrapping an arm around my waist before falling asleep. I lay beside him, wide-eyed and desperate for the moment I could finally escape. Soon his breathing slowed and his arm went slack so I carefully extricated myself from his grasp until I could crawl out of bed without making it creak. Once free, I tip-toed to the door and flipped the lock slowly to keep it from making noise, then slipped outside into the hallway.

It was smooth sailing from then on. The tiny voice that kept warning me when I was doing stupid things was practically screaming for me to turn around and go back to Goku. I hurried down the stairs and out of the house, inhaling the fresh air outside for any trace of Gohan's scent. My eyes fell upon a puddle that was faintly illuminated by the moon and I noticed my eyes were wide and black, the same way the Saiyans looked when the full moon rose. Being marked by Gohan was starting to drive me crazy. If I could just satisfy the burning I knew I would feel much better.

Suddenly I could feel him—I whirled around and stared hard into the darkness, focusing intently on the surging power level behind the trees. All I could see was the vague outline of his face. He beckoned me with one finger and withdrew further into the forest, tugging me along like I was attached on a leash. We only walked for a hundred or so feet before Gohan slammed me into a tree out of nowhere, eyes filled with blackness just like mine. He kissed me violently, making my lips bleed, and crushed his body up against mine so my spine was driven into the tree.

Gohan was slighter than his father but I could feel raw energy surging inside him that Goku didn't have. His hands fumbled with our clothes and I worried I would explode before we were finally naked. My head was spinning and the little voice begged me to stop him, to turn around and run back to Goku's house before he caught us. But my body wouldn't let me even if I tried. The mark pulsated when Gohan pulled us to the ground and pushed me on my stomach so he could lick the back of my neck. I shivered excitedly and tried pulling off my own clothes to speed things along.

"Whenever I dreamed about this it was always much slower," Gohan said.

"I didn't really think about it. I'm still not really thinking about it."

"Me neither." His turned me over so I was facing him, furrowing his brow. "I mean, I've thought about it but right now I'm not really thinking about it. Dad told me to mark you because it was better than Vegeta doing it so I did. Now I'm going even crazier than I was before."

I shrugged. "If you want to do this you better hurry before Goku wakes up. He's not gonna be happy."

"He'll smell me all over you either way. But you belong to me now so it doesn't matter. Right? We don't have to be afraid of him disapproving of us."

"I'm sure I'll feel different when the mark wears off, though. Don't forget Goku and I are getting kind of involved so when it goes away it's gonna be like none of this ever happened. I'm not really big on infidelity and I don't want to hurt him but kami, it feels like I'm on _fire." _

The wonderful kissing and rubbing suddenly stopped and Gohan gave me an eerie look. "Didn't you hear me? You're mine now. I've been waiting to do this since I met you in school. You don't really think you can have any sort of future with dad, do you? I mean, he's immortal. He's way older than you. You don't exactly have a lot in common, either. He's saved the world countless times while you were growing up as a normal human. You're from two different worlds, literally and figuratively."

"I'm not anyone's personal property. If you say that again I'm going to punch you in the nose."

"You know I'm right. Dad has the attention span of a little kid, anyway. He'll probably forget about you in a week and move on. You don't have to feel bad about choosing to be happy. I'll remark you every month if that's what it takes. You're one thing I'm never going to share with anyone else."

"Who says I even want a future with Goku? All of you seem to think we're getting married tomorrow or something. Can't I just have a casual relationship with someone and see where it goes?" I tried to push Gohan off me, starting to feel much more rational. "I'm not an object to be shared. I'm a grown woman who wants and demands respect from others. The next Saiyan to say I belong to them is gonna get a swift kick to the gut, no holdbacks."

"You're mine," Gohan growled, pinning my wrists to the earth. "That's the way marking works. I branded you as something I personally own and anyone who touches you will be punished severely. I might only be half-Saiyan but I'm still stronger than you. It won't be hard for me to mark you every month if I can keep dad and Vegeta away. Trunks and Goten aren't threats. Not yet."

"You do realize how crazy you sound, I hope. Your little brother is seven. He still thinks girls have cooties. Vegeta isn't a threat; he just wants some of my DNA to reboot your godforsaken race."

"I've known Vegeta most of my life and it isn't his style to let my father take what he considers to be a 'prize.'" Gohan held my face between his hands, forcing me to look at him. "You're the last female of our kind. Like it or not, that makes you very interesting to the rest of us. Vegeta acts like he doesn't care and I'm sure he wouldn't bat an eye if you dropped dead as a human but you're so much more valuable to him—to both of them—in this state. Dad denies it but he feels the same pull we all do. In the end, it's up to you. Vegeta doesn't like toying around in labs."

There was a bright flash of light and the half-naked Gohan was yanked off of me by a familiar face while I was dragged to my feet by another. This time I didn't struggle in Goku's iron grasp as most of my sanity had returned, leaving me feeling kind of stupid. Vegeta growled at Gohan and threw him back down on the ground to pick up his clothes, which he did hastily. I hung limply over Goku's arm as humiliation crept up from my insides. Kami, I must have looked like such a moron.

"You're lucky we found you in time," Vegeta said, kicking Gohan's shirt to him. "Sex will only strengthen the bond and make it fade away slower. But you knew that, didn't you?"

Gohan's ears turned red. "No. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You never think," Vegeta snapped.

"Leave him alone. You're acting like dogs fighting over a bone." I found the courage to speak through my embarrassment, maybe inspired by my new mark. "So what if I'm the last female Saiyan? Big deal. I'm not having kids with any of you. Ever. You're not drilling into my ovaries for my eggs and you'll never convince me otherwise. The Saiyan race is exterminated. Get over it. If you keep looking back you can never move forward. Besides, who cares about some dirty race of alien monkeys that lose their minds when the moon is out?"

None of the men said anything for a while. At first I worried I had struck a nerve and dreaded the consequences, but they all appeared to be actually thinking. Vegeta snorted disdainfully and shook his head after a few minutes while the other two still looked thoughtful. I knew it would be hard to get the ex-prince of Saiyans to see things the way I did but I figured it was worth a shot. He pointed a finger at me through the darkness and Goku tightened his grip.

"Regardless of what this she-devil says, she will lay with one of us, Kakarot. Keep your half-breed son away or I'll be forced to intervene. Bulma might think her science can help us but I have strong doubts it will. I suggest you all keep both eyes open if you're not willing to cooperate. Letux and Colard would love to destroy another city."

"You haven't said anything," I shot at Goku, trying to get him to side with me. "We're together now, right? Are you going to let Vegeta talk to me like that?"

"You're just a commodity now," Vegeta sneered. "All any of us care about it who will be the one to initiate the revival of the Saiyan race. You can't possibly think any of us are really intrigued by you. After you have a few children you'll be passed on to the next one until Kakarot's son eventually has a go with you. Don't think this new power has made you any less insignificant, woman."

Goku's grasp became so tight I worried he would break me in a hundred different places. It was hard to turn my head to look up at him but I suddenly felt drips of water on top of my hair and realized he must have been crying. His body shook very slightly as tears slid down his cheeks, almost dousing me in water. He pushed my face to his chest by the back of my head and kissed the crown of my skull like we hadn't seen each other in years. It was then that I noticed red fur sprouting from his skin…

"Videl will always matter to me," Goku said, able to hide the fact that he was crying. "Always."

Vegeta and Gohan both raised their power levels as more fur erupted across Goku's body and his hair began to lengthen, stretching down to his back. He released me just as my bones started to creak in protest to the pressure on them and I stepped back to watch his transformation. Red lines outlined his now golden eyes and a tail twitched behind him, also red to match the fur on his chest. His pants were gold now with a blue sash and he ripped off his shirt, promptly offering it to me so I had something to cover myself with. He looked wild and his energy reflected it.

Goku bared his teeth at the other two men, cheeks streaked with tears. "It's my fault Videl was pulled into this mess and I won't continue to let you two treat her this way. Go home, Gohan. As for you, Vegeta…" He cracked his knuckles and narrowed his golden eyes. "I'd prefer you stick around so I can pound you into the ground once and for all. You've corrupted my best friend and now you're harassing my woman for no good reason."

There was a flash of light and Goku was pinning Vegeta by the throat to a nearby tree while Gohan watched, shrinking back a bit in fear. I was honestly a little scared myself by the new Goku but I tried not to let it show. Vegeta growled furiously at his attacker and struggled in his grasp as Goku pushed so hard his body actually made in indent in the bark. Thankfully I was on Goku's good side.

"Videl is NOT—" Goku slammed Vegeta into the tree even harder so he coughed up blood— "a prized bitch you're all going to have a 'go at' to see who makes the most valuable puppies. She's a human woman with human emotions and I will not stand by and let you take that from her!" Now Goku was sobbing, on the brink of killing Vegeta who was turning blue in the face.

"You've taken Bulma from me," he said, "the sweet girl I knew as a boy is a horrible monster, just like you. If that's what being a Saiyan is all about then I don't want any part of it. I refuse to let our race flourish and I won't let you keep hurting my friends, no matter what it takes. If I have to end you right now, I'll do it. I always hesitate at the end of the battle; I always try to give my foes a second chance. Even Frieza! I've given you a thousand strikes too many, Vegeta."

When Goku began squeezing Vegeta's neck even tighter, I knew I had to stop him. The two had a long, rocky relationship but the Goku I knew wouldn't kill anyone unless it was truly necessary. Vegeta and his wife were a bit on the evil side, yes, but they weren't anything Goku couldn't handle. I rushed over and gently took Goku's furry arm between my hands until he noticed me. All it took was a shake of the head and he dropped Vegeta, who rolled on his stomach and heaved for air.

I was quickly supporting the weight of a grown male Saiyan but it wasn't as difficult as it used to be. Goku wrapped his arms around me and hugged tightly, crying into my shoulder as if he would never stop. I returned the embrace and shot Vegeta a cold look when he glared at us, which thankfully made him take the hint and fly off. Gohan stepped forward with an arm out but ended up deciding to leave, too. I stroked Goku's even thicker hair while he cried.

"I thought Vegeta was different," he said. "I gave them my blessing when they got together. I thought… he was reformed. She seemed so happy… and I let my best friend down. Even now, I can't save her. She'll always be evil and heartless like him. I feel so helpless."

"You can't save everyone."

"But I always have in the past. No matter the consequences or the difficulty, I always help people. It's who I am. My strength and immortality don't help in this. I can't kill either of them and Bulma is too forgone to ever leave him behind. I've failed her and Trunks. My immortality was a gift under the condition that I protect Earth for all eternity. I don't deserve it."

"Of course you deserve it! You can't alter free will, Goku. All you can do is hope she'll see the light eventually and realize what he's doing to her."

Goku nodded slowly and his crying became softer until he seemed to fall asleep. I smirked at the reversed roles and supported one of his arms around me to start the trek back to his house. We'd both had a long day.


	24. AN

Got some bad news for you guys. I'm done writing this story.

It kind of lost the main focus and I'm done with this pairing for now. I want to move on to OC stories and this is becoming tough for me to write. There's no way I can tie everything together in another chapter so this is the end. :( Thank you to everyone who reviewed and read! I really do appreciate the feedback; it helps me grow as an author. Unfortunately this is becoming too difficult to write.


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